UFC Vegas 116 results: Aljamain Sterling dominates Youssef Zalal

Aljamain Sterling is coming for Alexander Volkanovski's ass – "no pause," or so he says.

At UFC Fight Night 274 on Saturday, Sterling (26-5 MMA, 18-5 UFC) dominated Youssef Zalal (18-6-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45). The featherweight bout headlined the event at Meta APEX in Las Vegas.

Sterling opened up on the feet from the opening bell, looking loose and flowy. But it'd ultimately be his grappling that would prove to be a big difference maker.

Outside of some Round 3 success from Zalal, Sterling proved to be the much stronger grappler. He found himself at home on Zalal's back, utilizing his signature body triangle and working for a rear-naked choke. In Round 4 in particular, Zalal looked widely uncomfortable as Sterling worked to end the fight.

With the win, Sterling moves a step closer to challenging for gold in a second UFC division. Regarded as one of the best bantamweight fighters ever, Sterling defended the UFC bantamweight championship three times. After a loss to Sean O'Malley, he moved to featherweight where he has gone 3-1.

Having won back-to-back fights, Sterling has positioned himself for something even bigger next time out. After the fight, he said in-cage that he's coming for both Movsar Evloev (who his lone featherweight loss came against) and champion Alexander Volkanovski.

Zalal comes up short in his first UFC main event and has a eight-fight winning streak snapped. Five of those fights came in the UFC. Regardless of Saturday's outcome, Zalal has written quite the comeback story. The UFC elected to re-sign Zalal in 2022 after a four-fight stint. But he worked his way back through the regional ranks straight to a UFC main event.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 274 results:

• Aljamain Sterling def. Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45)
• Joselyne Edwards def. Norma Dumont via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Rafa Garcia def. Alexander Hernandez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Ryan Spann def. Marcus Buchecha via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 2:10
• Eric McConico def. Rodolfo Vieira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Jackson McVey def. Sedriques Dumas via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 1, 2:14
• Michelle Montague def. Mayra Bueno Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Cody Durden def. Jafel Filho via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Francis Marshall def. Lucas Brennan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Victor Valenzuela def. Max Griffin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Talita Alencar def. Julia Polastri via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC Vegas 116 results: Aljamain Sterling dominates Youssef Zalal