Aljamain Sterling put on a dominant performance to beat Youssef Zalal in the UFC Vegas 116 main event and put himself that much closer to a potential featherweight title shot. But he admits if the fight had gone the other way and he lost in similar fashion, that could have marked the final appearance of his career.
The win on Saturday moved Sterling to 3-1 since moving to 145 pounds and he’s been vocal about competing for UFC gold again. That said, Sterling acknowledged that he’s only interested in competing against the best fighters in the world and if there was a clear indication that time had passed him by then it’s possible he could have called it a career with a loss.
“I’m not going to lie to you, definitely thoughts of retirement and things like that crossed my mind,” Sterling said during the UFC Vegas 116 post-fight show. “Depending on how I lost, if I were to lose, and just being realistic.
“If I can’t compete, I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to do it because there’s no future for it. It’s just if I can’t compete with these young guys, why are you sticking around just taking an ass whooping for no reason?”
Prior to the fight, Sterling compared his matchup against Zalal to Dustin Poirier getting matched up with Benoit Saint Denis back in 2024.
At the time, Saint Denis was a young, up and coming prospect at lightweight but Poirier was an established top-five ranked fighter and a former interim champion. Poirier ultimately delivered a nasty knockout win, which earned him a title shot but Sterling saw similarities when he got booked in his fight with Zalal on Saturday.
“Is it a passing of the torch type of fight?” Sterling said. “I was just happy I was able to pass the test with flying colors. I’m not sticking around — I’ve got enough money, could always use a little bit more though — but it’s just one of those things. This sport hurts. Ain’t nobody looking to stick around and let these young bucks just beat you up.”
Call it mission accomplished because Sterling maintained control and nearly scored the finish against Zalal on several occasions before winning a lopsided decision.
Heading into the fight, Sterling was already ranked higher than his opponent but Zalal was trying to take out a veteran and inject himself into the title fight conversation. Instead, Sterling maintained his position as a top ranked featherweight with hopes that he’ll get a shot at UFC gold sooner than later.
“I’m not a stepping stone for anybody,” Sterling said. “If you’re going to fight me, if you’re going to sign that contract, you’re in for a long 15 or 25 minutes with me and that’s just facts.”
While the win likely keeps Sterling near title contention, all signs are currently pointing towards Movsar Evloev getting the next shot against reigning champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Evloev is undefeated with a remarkable 10 fight win streak in the UFC, which includes his unanimous decision victory over Sterling back in 2024.
As much as he believes he should have gotten the nod that night, Sterling gives Evloev credit for picking up the win but if the UFC comes calling and offered him the title shot instead, he’s certainly not going to defer to his former opponent.
“I do think Movsar deserves it but if they offered me the opportunity, I’m not going to say no,” Sterling said. “I’m not going to say this guy deserves it. If they offer it to me, hell yeah, I’m f*cking taking it.
“I’m going to give it everything I’ve got until the wheels fall off. I think it’s a fight that everybody would love to see. Two OG’s of the sport. Why not? It just makes a whole lot of sense.”
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