Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling doesn’t believe Youssef Zalal poses a serious threat to him on the ground ahead of their featherweight main event clash at UFC Fight Night 274 this Saturday.
Sterling (25-5 MMA, 17-5 UFC), who moved up to 145 pounds in 2024, has gone 2-1 since joining the featherweight division and currently sits at No. 5 in the rankings. He faces a surging Zalal (18-5-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC), who has gone 5-0 since returning to the UFC for a second stint, with four of those wins coming by submission.
The matchup headlines this weekend’s card at the META Apex, where both fighters are looking to make a statement in a competitive featherweight title picture.
Despite Zalal’s recent success on the mat, Sterling expressed confidence that his own grappling experience and conditioning will give him a clear edge if the fight goes there.
“I mean... You don't think he will? I don't know,” Sterling said in an interview with Full Send MMA when asked about the possibility of early takedowns. “My thing is, like, if you want to grapple with me early. I just don't know if his conditioning is built for that right now. This is something I've been doing for years where I can grapple, even if I look tired, I can still always grapple. And I don't think a lot of people have those muscle fibers built in like that.”
Sterling emphasized that his ability to maintain grappling effectiveness deep into fights is a skill developed over time, and one he believes Zalal has yet to match.
“It's something that you have to develop over time,” Sterling continued. “And I know when people go from grappling to striking, the striking's a lot slower. So if he wants to grapple early. I think it's to his detriment, I would say. We'll see. We'll see who shoots first.”
