MMA
UFC Fight Night: Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal headlines April 25 at UFC ApexUFC returns to APEX with featherweight fights: Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal and Arnold Allen vs. Melquizael Costa
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(Photo: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)The Ultimate Fighting Championship will take place in Las Vegas and deliver two electrifying fight cards headlined by key featherweight bouts featuring top contenders looking to climb the rankings.
First, UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal is taking place April 25 at the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas. The event will continue a few weeks later UFC Fight Night: Allen vs. Costa ON May 16also in APEX.
In both events, preliminary fights will start at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time / 2:00 p.m. Polish timewith main tabs starting with 20:00 ET / 17:00 Polish time. Fans can stream all the action live on Paramount+.
Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling will make his first appearance in 2026 when he faces rising challenger Youssef Zalal in a featherweight main event.
Sterling (25-5), who fights out of Uniondale, Recent York, holds the record most wins in UFC history in the bantamweight division (14).. After moving up to the featherweight division in 2024, he already has impressive wins over top title challengers Calvin Kattar and Brian Ortega.
Sterling, currently ranked No. 5 at 145 pounds, hopes another victory will take him closer to winning a title in his second weight class.
On the other side of the octagon will be Zalal (18-5-1) from Morocco, who has been experiencing a remarkable rebirth since returning to the UFC in 2024. Fighting out of Colorado, Zalal performed admirably. five wins in a rowincluding four reports against quality opponents such as Josh Emmett, Jack Shore, Jarno Errens and Billy Quarantillo.
With momentum on his side, Zalal looks to pick up the biggest win of his career and break into the top five in the featherweight division.
Next month, Englishman Arnold Allen returns to action against rising Brazilian challenger Melquizael Costa.
Allen (20-4), currently ranked No. 8 in the featherweight division, has long been considered one of the most unsafe fighters in the weight class. The Suffolk native has wins over elite fighters including Giga Chikadze, Dan Hooker and Sodiq Yusuff.
Costa (26-7), fighting from São Paulo, Brazil, enters the fight a a six-game winning streak. Known for his aggressive finishing ability, he secured breaks in the first round over respected players such as Dan Ige, Morgan Charriere and Andre Fili.
Costa is now going to make the most critical statement of his career by handing Allen a decisive defeat.
Several fascinating matchups round out the April 25 card:
- Third-ranked women’s bantamweight Norma Dumont will face No. 11 Joselyne Edwards
- Montel Jackson meets bantamweight veteran Raoni Barcelos
- Lithe action between Rafa Garcia and Alexander Hernandez
- Davey Grant welcomes Adrian Juan Martinetti to the UFC
- Women’s strawweight fighters Talita Alencar vs. Julia Polastri
- Middleweight Rodolfo Vieira vs. Eric McConico
- Heavyweight grappling ace Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann
- Flyweight Jafel Filho vs. Lucas Rocha
- Mayra Bueno Silva will face undefeated Michelle Montague
- Middleweight Jackson McVey vs. Sedriques Dumas
The event, which will take place on May 16, will also feature a wealthy lineup of fights:
- Featherweight Dooho Choi vs. Daniel Santos
- Bantamweight Malcolm Wellmaker vs. Juan Diaz
- Welterweight Jeremiah Wells vs. Nicolas Dalby
- Women’s Bantamweight Ketlen Vieira vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti
- Lightweight Trey Ogden vs. Thomas Gantt
- Lithe heavyweight Modestas Bukauskas vs. Rodolfo Bellato
- Middleweight Cody Brundage vs. Andre Petroski
- Strawweight Shauna Bannon vs. Nicolle Caliari
- Flyweight Daniel Barez vs. Luis Gurule
- Timothy Cuamba vs. Timothy Cuamba Benardo Sopaj bantamweight
- Lithe heavyweight Tuco Tokkos vs. Ivan Erslan
- Strawweights Alice Ardelean vs. Polyana Viana
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