There were serious stakes in \u201cSin City.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion-turned Featherweight contender Aljamain Sterling delivered a dominant unanimous decision win<\/a> over Youssef Zalal in the UFC Vegas 116<\/a> main event last night (Sat., April 25, 2026) inside the Meta Apex<\/a> in Las Vegas, Nevada.<\/p>\n In fact, Sterling admitted post-fight that retirement was very much on the table (again<\/a>).<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to lie, thoughts of retirement crossed my mind,\u201d Sterling said on the UFC Vegas 116 post-show. \u201cDepending on how I lost, if I were to lose, and just being realistic \u2014 it\u2019s like if I can\u2019t compete, then I don\u2019t want to do this anymore. It\u2019s not like I don\u2019t want to do it because there is no future for it but if I can\u2019t compete with these young guys, why am I sticking around and taking an ass-whooping for no reason?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWas it a passing of the torch type of fight?\u201d Sterling added. \u201cI\u2019m just happy I passed the test with flying colors. I\u2019ve got enough money, but you can also use some more. This sport hurts, man and no is trying to stick around and let these young bucks beat you up.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, \u201cFunkmaster\u201d proved he still belongs, using his grappling and fight IQ to control Zalal across five rounds. Now 3-1 at Featherweight, he\u2019s right back in the mix for another crack at UFC gold.<\/p>\n Sterling called for a showdown with champion Alexander Volkanovski, though unbeaten contender Movsar Evloev \u2014 who holds a win over him<\/a> \u2014 is likely next in line. If that\u2019s the case, Sterling may need one more win to secure his shot.<\/p>\n A potential title eliminator against rising contender Jean Silva could make plenty of sense.<\/p>\n