Youssef
Zalal is in good spirits following his loss to Aljamain
Sterling in the
UFC Vegas 116 main event.
Zalal dropped a unanimous decision to the former bantamweight champ
on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Sterling controlled
the majority of the action with a blend of aggressive striking and
dominant grappling, bringing an end to Zalal’s eight-fight
professional winning streak.
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Zalal reacted to the loss on social media, posting a photo of
himself surrounded by loved ones on his Instagram account.
“Alhamdulillah!! Thank you guys for all the support,” Zalal wrote.
“I’ll be back. Keep smiling.”
Sterling then replied with a message of his own in the
comments.
“Always love my brotha! You pushed me to new limits and I hope I
pushed you too! Wallahi you will be champion one day!” Sterling
wrote.
After seeing mixed results during a 3-3-1 stint in his first
go-round in the
UFC, Zalal emerged as a featherweight contender with five
straight triumphs within the Las Vegas-based promotion — a run that
included victories over veterans Calvin
Kattar and Josh Emmett.
A victory over Sterling would have likely propelled Zalal into the
next level of the featherweight division.