{"id":50360,"date":"2026-04-25T20:29:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T14:59:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/?p=50360"},"modified":"2026-04-25T20:50:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T15:20:07","slug":"ufc-vegas-116-results-shake-featherweight-division-as-sterling-faces-zalal-in-high-stakes-main-event","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/ufc\/ufc-vegas-116-results-shake-featherweight-division-as-sterling-faces-zalal-in-high-stakes-main-event\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC Vegas 116 results shake featherweight division as Sterling faces Zalal in high stakes main event"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UFC Vegas 116<\/span><\/span> delivered a crucial night for the featherweight division. The headline fight featured Aljamain Sterling<\/span><\/span> taking on Youssef Zalal<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n

This was not just another fight. It was a serious test for both fighters. Sterling came in as a former bantamweight champion trying to prove himself at featherweight. Zalal entered with strong momentum and multiple wins behind him.<\/p>\n

The fight had major ranking impact. Both fighters were pushing toward title contention. Fans expected a technical battle. Sterling relied on experience and grappling. Zalal brought speed and submission threats.<\/p>\n

UFC Vegas 116 fight card and key bouts<\/h2>\n

The event took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It featured a packed card with 13 fights.<\/p>\n

The co main event saw Norma Dumont<\/span><\/span> face Joselyne Edwards<\/span><\/span> in a bantamweight clash. This fight also carried ranking importance. Edwards stepped in on short notice which added pressure.<\/p>\n

Other key fights included<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Rafa Garcia<\/span><\/span> vs Alexander Hernandez<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Davey Grant<\/span><\/span> vs Adrian Luna Martinetti<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Montel Jackson<\/span><\/span> vs Raoni Barcelos<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
  • Marcus Buchecha<\/span><\/span> vs Ryan Spann<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The prelims also featured rising names like Rodolfo Vieira<\/span><\/span> and Mayra Bueno Silva<\/span><\/span>. Many of these fighters are slowly building their place in the UFC.<\/p>\n

    UFC Vegas 116 impact on rankings and future fights<\/h2>\n

    This event may not have been the most hyped card. But it was important. Several fighters are now closer to title shots.<\/p>\n

    Sterling\u2019s move to featherweight is still under watch. A strong win here could place him near the top contenders. Zalal also had a chance to break into elite status with a big performance.<\/p>\n

    The co main event winner could also enter serious title conversations. Especially in a division that is always changing.<\/p>\n

    Overall, UFC Vegas 116 was about progression. It was about fighters proving themselves. And it may quietly shape the next few title fights in multiple divisions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    UFC Vegas 116 delivered a crucial night for the featherweight division. The headline fight featured Aljamain Sterling taking on Youssef\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":50363,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5319],"tags":[5315,776,5313,5316,5314],"class_list":["post-50360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ufc","tag-aljamain-sterling","tag-ufc","tag-ufc-vegas-116","tag-youssef-zalal","tag-zalal"],"reading_time":"2 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50360"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50362,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50360\/revisions\/50362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/sports\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}