Aljamain Sterling Secures Unanimous Decision Victory Over Youssef Zalal at UFC Vegas 116

Apr 26, 2026, 18:40

Introduction

On April 25, 2026, the Ultimate Fighting Championship conducted the Vegas 116 event at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. The evening was headlined by a featherweight contest between former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and ranked contender Youssef Zalal.

Main Body

The main event concluded with Aljamain Sterling defeating Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the bout 49-45. Sterling utilized a grappling-centric strategy, securing multiple takedowns and maintaining back control, particularly in the fourth and fifth rounds. While Zalal achieved a period of dominance in the third round—including a significant guillotine choke attempt and securing Sterling's back—he was unable to secure a finish. Following the bout, Sterling expressed his intention to pursue the featherweight championship currently held by Alexander Volkanovski, while Zalal acknowledged Sterling's performance. In the co-main event, Joselyne Edwards defeated Norma Dumont by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27), extending her winning streak to five. Other notable main card results included Rafa Garcia's unanimous decision victory over Alexander Hernandez, Davey Grant's unanimous decision win against Adrian Luna Martinetti, and Raoni Barcelos' split-decision victory over Montel Jackson. The only knockout on the main card occurred when Ryan Spann defeated Marcus Buchecha in the second round at the 2:10 mark. The preliminary card featured several unanimous decisions, including wins for Eric McConico, Michelle Montague, Cody Durden, Francis Marshall, Victor Valenzuela, and Talita Alencar. Jackson McVey secured the only other finish of the event, defeating Sedriques Dumas via D'Arce choke in the first round. Post-fight bonuses of $100,000 were awarded to Ryan Spann and Jackson McVey for Performance of the Night, and to Davey Grant and Adrian Luna Martinetti for Fight of the Night. From an analytical perspective, the event was characterized by a high frequency of decisions, with 11 of the 13 bouts reaching the judges' scorecards. Observers noted a lack of finishes across the card, though the performance of veteran bantamweights Grant and Barcelos was highlighted as a point of competitive interest. Regarding the featherweight division's hierarchy, it is noted that while Sterling has improved his standing, Movsar Evloev remains a primary contender for the title.

Conclusion

Aljamain Sterling's victory reinforces his position within the featherweight division's top tier, while the event overall was marked by a prevalence of decision outcomes and a limited number of fight stoppages.

Vocabulary Learning

grappling-centric (adj.)

focused on grappling techniques rather than striking以摔跤為主的

Example:His grappling-centric strategy dominated the fight.

guillotine (n.)

a type of chokehold that constricts the neck, often used in grappling斬首式絞技

Example:The fighter applied a guillotine to secure the victory.

hierarchy (n.)

a system of ranking or classification階層

Example:The hierarchy of the featherweight division is constantly shifting.

prevalence (n.)

the state of being widespread or common普及

Example:The prevalence of unanimous decisions was evident.

stoppages (n.)

interruptions or halts in activity停止

Example:The stoppages in the event were limited.

Sentence Learning

While Zalal achieved a period of dominance in the third round—including a significant guillotine choke attempt and securing Sterling's back—he was unable to secure a finish.

Parenthetical insertion: The sentence uses an em‑dash‑delimited parenthetical clause—‘—including a significant guillotine choke attempt and securing Sterling's back—’—to insert supplementary detail about the dominance period, while the main clause introduces contrast with ‘While … he was unable…’.插入語: 句子使用破折號包圍的插入語（‘—包括一個重要的絞喉鎖技和抓住 Sterling 的背部—’）提供了關於支配期的額外細節，主句則以 ‘While … he was unable…’ 形成對比。

Following the bout, Sterling expressed his intention to pursue the featherweight championship currently held by Alexander Volkanovski, while Zalal acknowledged Sterling's performance.

Participial phrase adverbial: The adverbial participial phrase ‘Following the bout’ sets the temporal context for the main clause, and the coordinating clause introduced by ‘while’ contrasts the actions of Sterling and Zalal.分詞片語副詞性: 分詞片語‘Following the bout’ 作為副詞性修飾語為主句設定時間背景，並且以‘while’引入的並列子句對比了 Sterling 與 Zalal 的行動。

Regarding the featherweight division's hierarchy, it is noted that while Sterling has improved his standing, Movsar Evloev remains a primary contender for the title.

Nested subordinate clauses: The fronted prepositional phrase ‘Regarding the featherweight division's hierarchy’ introduces the topic, followed by a ‘that’ clause containing a ‘while’ subordinate clause, illustrating a complex nested structure.嵌套從屬子句: 前置的介詞短語‘Regarding the featherweight division's hierarchy’ 引入主題，接著以‘that’子句包住一個‘while’從屬子句，呈現複雜的嵌套結構。

Passive voice: The clause ‘was marked by a prevalence of decision outcomes and a limited number of fight stoppages’ employs passive construction to emphasize the event's characteristics rather than the agent.被動語態: 子句‘was marked by a prevalence of decision outcomes and a limited number of fight stoppages’ 使用被動語態，強調事件特徵而非主體。

Sterling utilized a grappling‑centric strategy, securing multiple takedowns and maintaining back control, particularly in the fourth and fifth rounds.

Reduced relative clause: The participial phrase ‘securing multiple takedowns and maintaining back control’ functions as a reduced relative clause modifying ‘strategy’, condensing the descriptive information.簡化關係子句: 分詞片語‘securing multiple takedowns and maintaining back control’ 作為簡化關係子句修飾 ‘strategy’，將描述性資訊凝練。