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Aljamain Sterling says he was considering retirement before winning at UFC Vegas 116.

UFC featherweight contender Aljamain Sterling made a candid admission about retirement following his big win at UFC Vegas 116.

Sterling came in as an underdog against Youssef Zalal in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 116 card, but he completely dominated the fight for most of the 25 minutes. At the end of five rounds, Sterling was awarded a unanimous decision with three 49-45 scorecards, with all three judges awarding him a 10-8 score in the fourth round.

While Sterling looked great in the fight, there were many doubters about him heading into it. And while fighters always have to be confident in their abilities, Sterling himself admitted after the fight that there was a little seed of doubt in his mind. He even said that, had he lost to Zalal, he was considering retirement at age 36.

“I’m not going to lie to you, definitely thoughts of retirement and things like that crossed my mind. Depending on how I lost, if I were to lose, and just being realistic. “If I can’t compete, I don’t want to do this anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to do it because there’s no future for it. It’s just if I can’t compete with these young guys, why are you sticking around just taking an (expletive)-whooping for no reason?” Sterling said (via MMAFighting.com).

Sterling won in flying colors, however, staving off any potential notions of retirement for another day, as beating a rising contender like Zalal proves that Sterling is still a top dog at 145 lbs.

Could Aljamain Sterling Get the Next Featherweight Title Shot?

While Sterling would no doubt love to fight UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski next, he admitted after the fight that top contender Movsar Evloev is more deserving of the shot. That being said, if the UFC gives him the title fight, then of course, he won’t be saying no.

“You guys all watched Movsar (Evloev) vs. Lerone Murphy, and I’m just saying I let the fans decide. I let the UFC brass decide. I do think Movsar deserves it. If (the UFC matchmakers) do offer me the opportunity, I’m not going to say no. I’m not going to say, ‘This guy deserves it (more).’ If they offer (the featherweight title shot) to me, then hell yeah, I’m taking it. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got until the wheels fall off. I think it’s a fight that everybody would love to see. Two OGs of the sport. Why not? It just makes a whole lot of sense,” Sterling said.

Aljamain Sterling Has Looked Amazing at Featherweight

After a long career as a UFC bantamweight, including winning the belt by DQ from Petr Yan in 2021, Sterling moved up to featherweight in 2024. Since then, he is 3-1 in the weight class, with decision wins over Zalal, Brian Ortega, and Calvin Kattar, plus a close decision loss to Evloev. He has proven he is one of the best featherweights in the world and is closing in on a title shot at age 36.

While Evloev figures to be next in line for the title shot, Sterling put himself in a prime position to get the next title shot after that with one more win. Potential next opponents for Sterling in his next bout include Yair Rodriguez, Lerone Murphy, Jean Silva, and the winner of Diego Lopes vs. Steve Garcia at June’s UFC Freedom 250 event.