UFC Fight Night 274: Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal Prediction for Today, 04/25/26

The Main Event at UFC Fight Night 274 will see Aljamain Sterling take on Youssef Zalal. This will be a fight in the UFC Featherweight division. Sterling enters this fight with an MMA record of 25-5 and 17-5 in the UFC. He is averaging 4.45 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 52%. Sterling absorbs 2.21 strikes and has a striking defense of 59%. His grappling is also strong, averaging 2.45 takedowns every 15 minutes. Sterling has a takedown accuracy of 30% and a takedown defense of 44%.

Zalal enters this fight with an MMA record of 18-5-1 and 8-3-1 in the UFC. He is averaging 3.03 significant strikes per minute and has a striking accuracy of 50%. Zalal is absorbing 1.78 strikes and has a striking defense of 66%. His grappling is also solid, averaging 2.17 takedowns every 15 minutes and 1.4 submission attempts during the same period. He has a takedown accuracy of 31% and a takedown defense of 59%.

While Zalal is the small favorite in this fight, Sterling looks to be the best betting option. Sterling has gone 11-2 over his last 13 UFC fights, only losing to Sean O’Malley and Movsar Evloev during this stretch. Zalal, on the other hand, has been equally impressive, going 5-0 in his last 5 UFC fights. That being said, Sterling has the edge in both striking volume and grappling. He has also faced tough opponents overall and has held a title in his career. Because Sterling looks to have been more tested, backing Sterling to win is our best bet.