Pros react after Aljamain Sterling defeats Youssef Zalal at UFC Vegas 116

Tonight’s UFC Vegas 116 event was headlined by a high stakes featherweight matchup featuring Aljamain Sterling taking on Youssef Zalal.

Sterling (26-5 MMA), the promotion‘s former bantamweight champion, was returning to action for the first time since earning a unanimous decision victory over Brian Ortega this past August in Shanghai, China. Prior to that triumph, ‘Funk Master’ had dropped a decision loss to fellow 145lbs contender Movsar Evloev at UFC 310.

Meanwhile, Youssef Zalal (18-6-1 MMA) had most previously competed this past October, where he scored a first-round submission victory over Josh Emmett (see that here). ‘The Moroccan Devil’ had won eight fights in a row, with 7 of those 8 victories coming by stoppage ahead of tonight’s affair.

This evening’s UFC Vegas 116 main event proved to be a statement making performance for Aljamain Sterling. The former bantamweight champion was able to get the better of Youssef Zalal for the majority of their 25-minute affair, including a dominant fourth round. Although Zalal had some moments, including a solid third round, ‘Funk Master’ was able to fight through all the adversity he faced and cemented his status as a top contender at featherweight.

Official UFC Vegas 116 Results: Aljamain Sterling def. Youssef Zalal by unanimous decision (49-45 x3)

Check out how the pros reacted to ‘Sterling vs. Zalal’ below:

Damn that nigga Zalal got a dome on him lol

— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) April 26, 2026

10-9 Aljo in R1

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 26, 2026

20-18 Aljo after two rounds

Solid performance so far

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 26, 2026

2-0 Aljo but man bro gotta stay focus them knees were close

— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) April 26, 2026

Damn Zalal really had Aljo panicking there for a second

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 26, 2026

Zalal takes R3 but 29-28 Sterling through 3. Let's see if Zalal can complete the comeback. #UFCVegas116

— Adam Martin (@MMAdamMartin) April 26, 2026

Round 4 is gonna be interesting

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) April 26, 2026

Aljo’s body triangle is so hard to get out of

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) April 26, 2026

What a fucking 4th round from Aljo

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 26, 2026

Makes u appreciate the grappling exchanges in the movsar vs aljo fight more

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) April 26, 2026

Post-fight reactions to Aljamain Sterling defeating Youssef Zalal at UFC Vegas 116:

Aljo fight iq was incredible 👏👏👏 Zalal showed no quit tho

— Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) April 26, 2026

Aljamain Sterling gets the unanimous decision win over Zalal (49-45 x3)

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 26, 2026

Fantastic performance by Aljo. 4-1, throw in a 10-8 if you want. That was a statement win for Sterling.

— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) April 26, 2026

Sterling landed 220 total strikes in his win, official stats only credited 45 of those as being significant strikes

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) April 26, 2026

Who would you like to see Sterling fight next following his decision victory over Zalal this evening in Nevada? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!