There were serious stakes in “Sin City.”
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion-turned Featherweight contender Aljamain Sterling delivered a dominant unanimous decision win over Youssef Zalal in the UFC Vegas 116 main event last night (Sat., April 25, 2026) inside the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
While the win keeps Sterling firmly planted in the Top 5 and alive in the exclusive two-division title hunt, things could have looked much different with a loss — in more ways
than one.
In fact, Sterling admitted post-fight that retirement was very much on the table (again).
“I’m not going to lie, thoughts of retirement crossed my mind,” Sterling said on the UFC Vegas 116 post-show. “Depending on how I lost, if I were to lose, and just being realistic — it’s like if I can’t compete, then I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s not like I don’t want to do it because there is no future for it but if I can’t compete with these young guys, why am I sticking around and taking an ass-whooping for no reason?”
“Was it a passing of the torch type of fight?” Sterling added. “I’m just happy I passed the test with flying colors. I’ve got enough money, but you can also use some more. This sport hurts, man and no is trying to stick around and let these young bucks beat you up.”
Instead, “Funkmaster” proved he still belongs, using his grappling and fight IQ to control Zalal across five rounds. Now 3-1 at Featherweight, he’s right back in the mix for another crack at UFC gold.
Sterling called for a showdown with champion Alexander Volkanovski, though unbeaten contender Movsar Evloev — who holds a win over him — is likely next in line. If that’s the case, Sterling may need one more win to secure his shot.
A potential title eliminator against rising contender Jean Silva could make plenty of sense.
For complete UFC Vegas 116 results, coverage, and results click HERE.
