Aljamain Sterling dominates Zalal at UFC Vegas 116

Aljamain Sterling battered Youssef Zalal for 25 minutes Saturday night and now wants Alexander Volkanovski.

The former bantamweight champion won a lopsided unanimous decision over Zalal in the UFC Vegas 116 main event at the Apex, controlling the Moroccan on the mat and landing sustained ground-and-pound. According to MMA Fighting, Sterling has now won three of four at featherweight, with his lone loss coming against fellow contender Movsar Evloev.

Sterling pushes for Volkanovski title shot

Whether Sterling leapfrogs Evloev for a crack at Volkanovski remains unclear, but the grappling clinic left his peers impressed. As MMA Mania noted, Sterling is ranked fifth at 145 pounds, one spot behind Yair Rodriguez at fourth. Diego Lopes sits at second and is booked to face Steve Garcia at UFC Freedom 250, while Lerone Murphy at third is coming off a defeat to Evloev, who now appears next in line for gold.

Sterling told reporters after the fight he would have retired if he lost to Zalal. “This sport hurts,” he said, per MMA Mania. A matchup with Rodriguez makes sense if the promotion wants to test him one more time before a title eliminator, though Sterling is pushing for Volkanovski immediately.

In the co-main event, Joselyn Edwards upset third-ranked Norma Dumont via decision, likely vaulting her into the top five at bantamweight. Ryan Spann opened the main card with a knockout of Marcus Buchecha, improving to 2-1 at heavyweight. Sterling weigh-ins for his next fight have not been announced.

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — ‘Championship caliber’: Pros react to Aljamain Sterling’s lopsided UFC Vegas 116 main event win | MMA Fighting
• mmamania.com — Matches To Make After UFC Vegas 116 | MMA Mania
• sherdog.com — UFC Vegas 116 ‘Sterling vs. Zalal’ play-by-play, results & round scoring