Aljamain Sterling delivered one of the most dominant performances of his career, defeating Youssef Zalal in the UFC Vegas 116 main event on Saturday night.
Sterling looked good in the opening round, using his striking to work his way inside and secure the first takedown of the fight. Once he had his man on the mat, Sterling maintained control of the action, banking round one on the scorecards.
It took a little longer for Sterling to get Zalal on the mat in round two, but once he got him down, the ‘Funk Master’ immediately took his opponent’s back and unleashed a flurry of ground strikes that forced Zalal to scramble. With the body triangle locked in, Zalal could do little to stop the onslaught, allowing Sterling to go up 2-0 after 10 minutes.
Sterling shot in for an early takedown in the third and immediately found himself in a tight guillotine choke. After a few moments, Sterling fought his way out of the hold, but not without giving up top control to Zalal.
‘The Moroccan Devil’ never relinquished control, banking his first round of the fight.
Perhaps feeling a little frustrated after surrendering the third to Zalal, Sterling came out and immediately punched his way inside before securing yet another takedown early in the fourth. Just as he did in the second, Sterling unleashed a series of strikes before working on a rear-naked choke.
Zalal had absolutely no answer as Sterling delivered what may very well have been a 10-8 round.
Knowing he would need a finish, Zalal came out aggressive in the fifth and final round, but his forward pressure did nothing to stop Sterling from taking him down and taking his back yet again.
Once there, Sterling continued to bust up his opponent with strikes, racking up points and securing a decisive decision victory.
Official Result: Aljamain Sterling def. Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-45).
