Cooper Albers breaks down his DraftKings Pick6 selections for UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal.
Top-ten featherweights collide at the Meta APEX Saturday night, as former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling faces comeback contender Youssef Zalal in the main event of UFC Vegas 116.
Zalal is a -135 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Sterling sits as a +114 underdog.
Along with traditional sports betting and daily fantasy, you can now have more action than ever for UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal. Check out DraftKings UFC Pick6 for my favorite picks for Saturday’s UFC event.
Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (25–5) hasn’t run into any problems imposing his dominant wrestling at 145 pounds. He landed eight takedowns on Calvin Kattar in his division debut in April 2024 before scoring six takedowns on undefeated contender Movsar Evloev that December. He later landed three more in a 153-pound catchweight bout with Bryan Ortega last August.
Outside of his flash knockout loss to Sean O’Malley, Sterling has cleared 2.5 takedowns in five consecutive bouts. Expect him to return to the well during Saturday night’s main event against comeback contender Youssef Zalal (18–5–1), who owns a pedestrian 59% takedown defense inside the Octagon.
Zalal has completely reinvented himself since being cut by the UFC in 2022. He returned to the promotion in 2024 and now rides an eight-fight win streak — including seven finishes — into his first career main event.
A key factor in Zalal’s resurgence has been his improved submission game, with “The Moroccan Devil” scoring five of his last six wins by tap-out. However, he’s unlikely to find another submission against Sterling, a former champion and elite jiu-jitsu specialist who has never been tapped out. With just seven knockouts between them, all signs suggest Saturday’s headliner will go the full five rounds.
No. 3-ranked women’s bantamweight Norma Dumont (13–2) enters Saturday’s co-main event on a six-fight winning streak, highlighted by a flawless 3–0 start since dropping to 135 pounds. Each of those victories came against formidable contenders in Germaine de Randamie, Irene Aldana, and Ketlen Vieira, with “The Immortal” clearing 52.5 significant strikes in each of her last two bouts.
Dumont should have a clear veteran edge over No. 11 Joselyne Edwards (17–6), who has yet to be truly tested against the division’s elite. Expect the Brazilian to build a lofty strike total across the three-round bout, with her lacking power — zero professional knockouts — effectively neutralizing the chance of an early stoppage.
Davey Grant (17–8) has been a consistent presence in the UFC’s bantamweight division for well over a decade, though he’s struggled to carve out much of a foothold due to inconsistency. Now 40, he’s coming off a first-round submission loss to Charles Jourdain in October.
While Grant is the betting favorite with -135 moneyline odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, he doesn’t seem poised for a strong fantasy outing against debuting prospect Adrian Luna Martinetti (17–1). Grant has fallen under 72.5 fantasy points in three of his last four bouts, including a decision win, and has typically struggled against submission specialists. Martinetti, meanwhile, arrives with the momentum of a freight train — riding a 15-fight winning streak, punctuated by a thrilling unanimous decision over Mark Vologdin on Dana White’s Contender Series in October.
Prolific jiu-jitsu practitioner Marcus Buchecha (5–2–1) is still searching for his first UFC win. He suffered a unanimous decision loss to Martin Buday in his July 2025 debut before fighting to a draw with Kennedy Nzechukwu in December. Even so, the Brazilian heavyweight landed at least 24 significant strikes in each bout.
Likely needing to showcase another dimension to his attack, expect Buchecha to spend some additional time on the feet Saturday night against UFC mainstay Ryan Spann (23–11). While a primarily explosive striker, “Superman” is also a dangerous submission specialist, boasting 14 professional wins by tap-out.
Montel Jackson (15–3) has posted a relatively low striking output of late. Thanks to a mix of first-round finishes and grappling-heavy decisions, “Quick” has landed fewer than 38.5 significant strikes in four straight bouts.
It’s difficult to see that trend changing Saturday against fellow veteran Raoni Barcelos (21–5). The Brazilian bantamweight is riding a four-fight winning streak, during which he successfully thwarted the striking efforts of Payton Talbott and Cody Garbrandt. With Barcelos likely to mix in some grappling, Jackson’s striking volume should remain limited.
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