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UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal
VS
Youssef Zalal
Youssef Zalal
18-5-1 · USA
April 25, 2026 · Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Featherweight · 5 rounds · Main event
146.0lb
Weigh-in
145.5lb
Aljamain Sterling def. Youssef Zalal by U-DEC, R5 5:00
Performance
Round by round
SSTDKDCtrl
R1
Sterling8/241/202:19
Zalal4/160/000:00
R2
Sterling15/291/302:25
Zalal15/230/000:00
R3
Sterling2/32/200:47
Zalal3/40/003:48
R4
Sterling16/221/204:16
Zalal3/40/000:11
R5
Sterling5/111/204:02
Zalal10/180/000:00
Total
Sterling46/896/11013:49
Zalal35/650/003:59

Scorecards

Sterling vs Zalal

RdDerek ClearyMichael BellSal D'AmatoCommunity
R110-910-910-910-9
R210-910-910-910-9
R39-109-109-109-10
R410-810-810-810-8.1
R510-910-910-910-9
Total49-4549-4549-4549-45.1

Media (18 cards) · avg 49.145.1 · 18 Sterling · 0 Zalal

Official cards + public consensus via MMA Decisions. Per round: Sterling-Zalal.

Pre-fight

The model's read going in

The walk-forward model's call at the time of the bout — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.

Prediction
SterlingWin probabilityZalal
54.5%45.5%
KO / TKO
28%
Submission
22%
Decision
50%
Expected fight time: 16.8 min
Retrospective pick: the walk-forward model's call at the time of the fight — persisted out-of-sample, with no hindsight about the result.
What drives the pick

Each bar is a feature's push on the model from the center axis. Red pushes toward Sterling, blue toward Zalal. Tap a bar for why.

Predicted outcomes
Sterling54%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO14%25%5%
Submission9%18%16%
Decision31%57%24%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes51 (2169)act 46
Takedowns1.1 (0.03.6)act 6
Zalal46%
Wins by
Model
Equity
Mkt
KO / TKO14%31%16%
Submission13%28%8%
Decision19%41%32%
Predicted output
Sig. strikes46 (1962)act 35
Takedowns0.8 (0.03.0)act 0
Combined totals~97 sig strikes~1.9 takedownsmkt —
How it ends
mkt —
R118%
R218%
R37%
R44%
R53%
Distance50%
Fighter props
Most sig. strikestie 1.0%
Sterling
52.7%-114
Zalal
+11446.3%
Most takedownstie 30.0%
Sterling
40.1%-134
Zalal
+13429.9%
Significant strikes — over/under
Sterling
Expected: 51.0
51
Over 51
39.3%
+152
Exactly 51
1.0%
push
Under 51
59.7%
-152
064128
Zalal
Expected: 46.0
46
Over 46
39.2%
+152
Exactly 46
1.1%
push
Under 46
59.7%
-152
058116
Takedowns — over/under
Sterling
Expected: 1.1
1
Over 1
36.5%
+123
Exactly 1
18.8%
push
Under 1
44.7%
-123
035
Zalal
Expected: 0.8
1
Over 1
29.3%
+184
Exactly 1
16.9%
push
Under 1
53.8%
-184
035

Odds are model-implied (no real prop market is priced for these). The “most” prices are draw-no-bet — a tie (for takedowns, usually 0–0) is a push, so each side is priced off its chance of winning given a result, while the % shown is the raw chance of landing strictly more. Drag a line in half-point steps: a half line (e.g. 2.5) is a clean over/under, while a whole number adds a third outcome — landing exactly on it, a push — so over, exact and under sum to 100%. On a whole number the over/under odds are draw-no-bet (priced off the decisive mass, since the push refunds), so the two sides stay mirror images rather than implying an arbitrage.

Expected fight time 16.8 min. Predicted-output ranges are percentiles of the model’s simulated fights: sig strikes the middle 50% (25th–75th); takedowns the wider 10th–90th, since they’re 0 in most fights so a narrow band would collapse to 0. Win-by-method = win probability × that fighter’s own method split: the model forecasts how the fight ends, and that forecast is divided between the corners by each fighter’s finishing record — UFC wins in full, earlier-career wins at half weight, as of fight night — reconciled so the fighters’ totals still equal their win probabilities and the methods still total the fight-level forecast above. “Equity” is each of those over that fighter’s win % — how they win given that they win — so a column adds to 100%, and it differs by corner. A fighter with no classifiable wins at any level leans on the fight-level split. “How it ends” is the model’s round-of-finish split. “Mkt” is the de-vigged market prop (consensus across books), shown for context, not as a betting signal; rounds & totals slots fill as that data lands. Percentages are apportioned by largest remainder, so each set adds to its total exactly and an individual figure can sit a point off its own rounding.

Model vs market
Final
ModelMarketGapLine
To win
Sterling54.5%45.1%+9.4+112
Zalal45.5%54.9%−9.4-136
By method
Sterling by KO/TKO15.3%5.1%+10.2+1571
Sterling by submission12.1%15.8%−3.7+436
Sterling by decision27.2%24.0%+3.2+252
Zalal by KO/TKO12.8%15.6%−2.8+441
Zalal by submission10.1%7.7%+2.4+996
Zalal by decision22.7%31.9%−9.2+165
Total rounds (over)
Over 1.5 rds82.4%83.3%−0.9-793
Over 2.5 rds64.6%75.5%−10.9-432
Over 3.5 rds57.2%68.0%−10.8-269
Over 4.5 rds52.8%61.0%−8.2-189
Goes the distance
Fight goes to decision49.8%57.7%−7.9-160

Market % is the de-vigged (no-vig) consensus across the books that price both fighters; the line is the average across books with the min–max range in parentheses. Gap is the model minus the market in points (+ = the model rates that outcome above the market). Thin or one-sided markets are flagged or left blank rather than shown as a fabricated %. Shown for context, not as a bet — the closing line is the sharpest public price and the model trails it on average. For 5-round bouts the model splits its round-3+ finish mass into rounds 3–5 by the historical within-bucket rate, so the over-3.5 / 4.5 lines carry a model estimate.

Trait web
77.8Striking75.4
Sterling +2.5
46.7Grappling59.4
Zalal +12.7
Str/minStr accStr defAbsorbedTD/15TD accTD defSubs
Hover a point to see the values
SterlingZalal
Tale of the tape
Ratings (Elo)
1698
Pound-for-pound
1596
1534
Divisional
1593
1513
Striking offense
1504
1538
Striking defense
1528
1527
Grappling offense
1527
1521
Grappling defense
1514
Physical
36 yrs
Age
29 yrs
5'7"
Height
5'10"
71"
Reach
72"
Orthodox
Stance
Switch
Striking (UFC career)
4.45
Strikes landed / min
3.03
53%
Strike accuracy
51%
2.21
Strikes absorbed / min
1.78
60%
Strike defense
67%
Grappling (UFC career)
2.45
Takedowns / 15 min
2.17
31%
Takedown accuracy
32%
45%
Takedown defense
59%
0.6
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.4
Form & résumé
77%
UFC win rate
73%
+1
Win/loss streak
+5
60%
Last-5 win rate
100%
35%
Finish rate
50%
Recent opp. quality
245
Days since last fight
203
Recent form (last 5 UFC)
Aljamain Sterling
  • WBrian OrtegaU-DEC R5
    Close -5388mo before
  • LMovsar EvloevU-DEC R3
    Close +1921y 5mo before
  • WCalvin KattarU-DEC R3
    Close -1882y before
  • LSean O'MalleyKO/TKO R2
    Close -2582y 8mo before
  • WHenry CejudoS-DEC R5
    Close -1013y before
Youssef Zalal
  • WJosh EmmettSUB R1
    Close -4607mo before
  • WCalvin KattarU-DEC R3
    Close -4501y 2mo before
  • WJack ShoreSUB R2
    Close -3091y 6mo before
  • WJarno ErrensSUB R1
    Close -5381y 8mo before
  • WBilly QuarantilloSUB R2
    Close -1282y 1mo before
Sterling — win / loss by method
Record: 25-5-0

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
3 wins, 2 losses
W
12% of wins
L
40% of losses
Submission
8 wins, 0 losses
W
32% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
13 wins, 3 losses
W
52% of wins
L
60% of losses
DQ / other
1 win, 0 losses
W
4% of wins
L
0% of losses
UFC
17win5loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
2 (12%)KO/TKO(40%) 2
4 (24%)Submission(0%) 0
10 (59%)Decision(60%) 3
1 (6%)DQ / other(0%) 0
Non-UFC
8win0loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
1 (13%)KO/TKO() 0
4 (50%)Submission() 0
3 (38%)Decision() 0
Zalal — win / loss by method
Record: 18-5-1

Bar length is fight count (largest bar = full width); shading splits finishes by round and decisions by unanimous vs split — tap a bar for the round-by-round count.

KO/TKO
4 wins, 0 losses
W
22% of wins
L
0% of losses
Submission
10 wins, 0 losses
W
56% of wins
L
0% of losses
Decision
4 wins, 5 losses
W
22% of wins
L
100% of losses
UFC
8win3loss1draw0NC
WinsLosses
0 (0%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
4 (50%)Submission(0%) 0
4 (50%)Decision(100%) 3
Non-UFC
10win2loss0draw0NC
WinsLosses
4 (40%)KO/TKO(0%) 0
6 (60%)Submission(0%) 0
0 (0%)Decision(100%) 2

Profiles

Experience
Sterling
Zalal
22
UFC fights
12
305.7 min · 13.9 avg
Octagon time
138.3 min · 11.5 avg
15y 3m
Career length
8y 11m
UFC schedule strength

Opponents' records on fight night — toggle their full cross-promotional record vs UFC bouts only.

Sterling
Zalal
389W–71L · 84.6%
Overall
150W–39L · 79.4%
293W–53L · 84.7%
Wins
127W–35L · 78.4%
96W–18L · 84.2%
Losses
23W–4L · 85.2%
Non-UFC schedule strength
Sterling
Zalal
34W–17L · 66.7%
Overall
55W–24L · 69.6%
34W–17L · 66.7%
Wins
40W–18L · 69.0%
0W–0L
Losses
15W–6L · 71.4%
Distance striking
Sterling
Zalal
6.35
Landed / min
5.56
45.6%
Accuracy
48.9%
63.7%
Defense
69.6%
0.00
Knockdowns / 15 min
0.22
47.2%
Time at distance
46.4%
Grappling & control
Sterling
Zalal
2.45
Takedowns / 15 min
2.17
30.7%
Takedown accuracy
31.7%
44.9%
Takedown defense
59.4%
0.64
Sub attempts / 15 min
1.41
64.8%
Control share
61.2%
Strike target map
Sterling
  • Head50%(678)div 63%
  • Body32%(431)div 20%
  • Legs19%(252)div 16%
Zalal
  • Head63%(263)div 63%
  • Body17%(70)div 20%
  • Legs21%(86)div 16%

Where each fighter lands significant strikes (career). “div” = the weight-class average.

Aljamain Sterling
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.

Youssef Zalal
CloseSSTDKDCtrl

Per-fight: SS & TD shown landed/attempted; Close = consensus closing line.