UFC Fight Night Sterling vs Zalal Review ( Delayed Edition ) 29.4.2026.

Written By Patrick O'malley.

Intro.

I can understand why most fans don't like these UFC Fight Night Apex cards, because the words scraping the bottom of the barrel comes to mind, but if you ask me, that term should never be used when it comes to talking about Combat sports, because the sheer athleticism is something that should be marvelled at. You guys know of my love for Pro Wrestling, which is a very differant discipline, however my love for MMA is just as vass, which says to me that the men and women who take part in MMA are just as passionate, and nuts. And these cards can sometimes prove my point.

Marcus Buchecha vs Ryan Spann. Heavyweight.

This is the one fight on the card that had me very excited, because they're both ATT Alumni's, so you knew that they were going to have solid footwork, and excellent Jiu Jitsu skills. The first round was a bit cagey for my liking. The first round was based around both men finding their feet, this meant that Buchecha couldn't utilise his groundwork, this meant that Spann could keep things standing, this was how he was able to get the win by knockout in the late stages of the second round. I thought this was a great way to start the main card, as it showed that you shouldn't sleep on those Heavyweights

Montel Jackson vs Raoni Marcelo. Bantamweight.

This fight was a slog to sit through. The first round was a cagey standing affair, that saw Raoni stun Montel in the early going, with his crisp boxing, Jackson tried to take things to the ground, but he failed to gain any momentum. The second round saw Raoni continue to be given time by Jackson to find even more range especially as the round went into the final minute. The third round was very hard to score, so if I was a judge sitting at cageside I wouldn't know how to call it. Montel Jackson did nothing in this round to show that he wanted the win, this was evidently clear when Raoni took his back with less than a minute to go. Raoni got the win by unanomous decsion. This fight did nothing for me.

Davey Grant vs Adrian Martinetti. Bantamweight.

This had to be the fight of the night in my opinion. Both men wanted this from the start, and you could get there urgentcy. The first round was an all standing affair with the Brit Grant getting the better of the early exchanges. The second round made me love Daniel Cormier even more when he said that he's an Arsenal supporter, this came after Martinetti started to find a bit of range on his feet, but Grant was able to counteract anything that he could throw at him. The third round I felt like I was watching a highlight reel from the first two rounds, and you know what. I could've done with a few more rounds of this, because this fight was magic. Davey Grant got the win.

Rafa Garcia vs Alexander Hernandez. Lightweight.

This fight was a letdown. The first round showed that Garcia had a solid groundgame, whilst Hernandez got the better of the exchanges, but with these positives, neither fighter could do anything with the momentum that they had gained. This is how the second and third rounds would also play out. Rafa Garcia got the win. If this fight was a school report, it would say must do better.

Joselyne Edwards vs Norma Dumont. Bantamweight.

This was a lifeless stoic fight, that failed to ignite into action. Both ladies worked there Jiu Jitsu when the fight went to the ground in the early stages of the first round, but neither lady got anything from this. As the second started and came into focus. I got the feeling that Edwards was trying to play it safe, and you could tell as she used her Jiu Jitsu groundwork far too much, this came as Dumont failed to land any of her shots whilst trying to keep the fight standing. This was how the third round played out. I didn't like this. The fight felt tepid, and given the fact that both ladies have title aspirations. I was expecting a lot more. Edwards got the win.

Aljamin Sterling vs Youssef Zalal. Featherweight.

This was another fight that failed to ignite my interest, and it's a shame because i'm a big fan of Aljamain Sterling. This wasn't his finest hour. Yes he counteracted anything that Zalal threw at him, but it came at a caviat, he kept going back to the groundgame well, and as a result the fight became boring. Sterling would use his groundgame a bit too much, because I felt that this became a Wrestling clinic, now there's nothing wrong with that, but if both men want to push on in the division, they both need to do better. The firsst round both men tried to keep things standing, that was until Aljamain took Youssef to the ground. The second round saw Sterling trying to keep things standing, as Youssef took Sterling to the ground, but failed to captilise. The third round was the Zalal show, as you could tell that he knew that he was behind on the score cards. He tried to play Sterlings game, but it didn't pay off. Aljamain Sterling came back in the fourth and fifth rounds. This was enough for him to get the win by decision.

Overview Of UFC Fight Night Sterling vs Zalal.

This card wasn't the UFC's finest hour, with only two fights coming up trump on the night. Overall this was a mixed bag of a card, with the fights that I liked, not managing to over shadow the wins that I didn't like.

UFC Fight Night Sterling vs Zalal is by UFC standards a sorry 4/10.