Aljamain Sterling revealed he came dangerously close to being submitted by a guillotine choke from Youssef Zalal during their fight. Sterling admitted he thought he was about to lose consciousness from the submission attempt. Despite the dire situation, he chose to risk passing out rather than tap to the submission. Sterling explained his decision was motivated by not wanting to give Zalal the satisfaction of a tapout victory. The confession highlights the mental toughness and pride that drove Sterling to endure the dangerous position rather than concede defeat.
Aljamain Sterling has opened up about a harrowing moment during his fight with Youssef Zalal, admitting he came within a breath of losing consciousness inside a guillotine choke but refused to tap out.
Sterling, ranked fourth in the featherweight division, made the candid admission in a recent interview. The 36-year-old from New York, fighting out of Serra-Longo Fight Team, carries a 26-5-0 professional record and is one of the more technically refined fighters in the 145-pound weight class. Known by his nickname "Funk Master," Sterling averages 4.45 significant strikes landed per minute with a 52 percent striking accuracy, and he has built much of his reputation on grappling savvy and submission awareness.
His opponent, Youssef Zalal, showed exactly why that submission threat is real. The 29-year-old "Moroccan Devil" holds an 18-6-1 record and sits at number 12 in the featherweight rankings. Fighting out of Factory X, Zalal averages 1.4 submission attempts per 15 minutes and complements his grappling with a solid 2.17 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him a credible threat on the ground. The guillotine attempt against Sterling was a vivid demonstration of that danger.
Sterling admitted he genuinely believed he was on the verge of going to sleep, yet chose to accept that risk rather than hand Zalal the satisfaction of a tapout victory. Pride and mental fortitude, by his own account, kept his hand from hitting the canvas.
Why it matters
- Sterling's willingness to risk unconsciousness over a tapout underlines the psychological stakes that often define high-level grappling exchanges.
- For a fourth-ranked featherweight, a submission loss to a number-12 opponent would have carried significant ranking consequences.
- Zalal's submission volume makes him a genuine danger to any opponent who underestimates his ground game, reinforcing his standing as a credible contender in a stacked division.
