UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal - Odds, Predictions & Picks

Former UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling will meet with Moroccan fighter Youssef Zalal in the Octagon, as the UFC returns to Las Vegas this Saturday. Both fighters rank inside the Top 10 in the featherweight division, making it a crucial matchup.

• Sterling is 2-1 since moving up to 145 lbs, defeating both Calvin Kattar and Brian Ortega over the past two years

• “The Moroccan Devil” has gone 5-0 since rejoining the UFC in March 2024, picking up notable victories over Kattar and Josh Emmett

Check out the latest UFC odds for each matchup. You can find all of my UFC Fight Night 274 predictions below as well as a breakdown of each fight in more detail.

UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal - Odds

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UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal - Picks & Predictions

Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal - Featherweight Division

• Our pick: Aljamain Sterling (+110) at FanDuel

Norma Dumont vs. Joselyne Edwards - Women’s Bantamweight Division

• Our pick: Norma Dumont by Points (-150) at FanDuel

Rafa Garcia vs. Alexander Hernandez - Lightweight Division

• Our pick: Alexander Hernandez by Points (+185) at FanDuel

Davey Grant vs. Juan Martinetti - Bantamweight Division

• Our pick: Juan Martinetti (+102) at FanDuel

Montel Jackson vs. Raoni Barcelos - Bantamweight Division

• Our pick: Raoni Barcelos by Points (+260) at FanDuel

Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann - Heavyweight Division

• Our pick: Ryan Spann by KO/TKO (+230) at FanDuel

Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal - Featherweight Division

After losing the UFC Bantamweight Championship to Sean O’Malley in August 2023, Sterling has since moved up to featherweight. A points loss against Movsar Evloev in December 2024 was followed up with a decision win over Ortega last time out for Sterling at catchweight, but he enters this bout as the +110 underdog with FanDuel.

It’s Zalal who’s the bookmaker’s frontrunner for this one, being priced as the -140 favorite with FanDuel. He’s on a five-fight streak since rejoining the promotion just over two years ago, finishing all but one of his five opponents. All four of those finishes have been via submission. A win in the same manner on Saturday will be an unprecedented endeavour against Sterling, since the 36-year-old has yet to be submitted in his pro career.

If Sterling secures the victory he will prove he’s a serious contender in this weight class. A win for Zalal will be another step in the right direction, as he continues to work his way through the featherweight division. However, going up against such an experienced fighter in Sterling will prove difficult – he’s an incredibly skilled wrestler and a level up from anything Zalal has faced before.

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Norma Dumont vs. Joselyne Edwards - Women’s Bantamweight Division

No. 3 ranked Dumont will face off against No. 11 Edwards in a women’s bantamweight bout on Saturday with the former the -250 favorite with FanDuel. Brazilian Dumont has been ascending up the bantamweight rankings thanks to her six-fight unbeaten run, while “La Pantera” is looking to extend her four-fight win streak.

Impressive triumphs over former featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie, Irene Aldana, and Ketlen Vieira mean Dumont is on the cusp of a title fight, and a win here would set her up for exactly that, most likely against current champ Kayla Harrison. She’ll look to control the fight from the off and take this one into the deeper rounds.

Panamanian fighter Edwards is yet to beat anyone of much significance in the UFC so far, so this is her real test to prove she’s got what it takes to mount a challenge inside the Top 10. All four of her recent victories have been finished early, meaning she will hope to catch Dumont off guard early doors.

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Rafa Garcia vs. Alexander Hernandez - Lightweight Division

Garcia and Hernandez are both pursuing a spot in the lightweight rankings when they go head-to-head in Vegas this weekend. Mexican Garcia has won his last two bouts back-to-back, while Hernandez is on a four-fight win streak and is the -132 favorite with FanDuel.

With four wins over his last five fights, 31-year-old Garcia is starting to find his feet in the UFC. He started off with successive losses in his first two promotional bouts, but has now started to climb up the ladder, picking up wins over the likes of Clay Guida, Vinc Pichel, and Jared Gordon.

For Hernandez, his streak includes consecutive TKO finishes over Chase Hooper and Carlos Diego Ferreira. He’ll be looking for the early finish, but does know how to grind out the wins and go the distance if needed.

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Davey Grant vs. Juan Martinetti - Bantamweight Division

Experienced English fighter Grant will take on UFC debutant Juan Martinetti in a bantamweight bout. “Dangerous” has over a decade's worth of experience in the UFC, but has a mixed record of 8-6 with the promotion. He’s the -130 favorite with FanDuel.

Opponent Martinetti has earned his spot in the UFC after securing a unanimous decision win over Mark Vologdin in Dana White’s Contender Series last October. He has an impressive career record of 17-1-0, but will now face tougher opposition. He has youth on his side and the momentum of 15 straight victories heading into the bout.

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Montel Jackson vs. Raoni Barcelos - Bantamweight Division

Aiming to bounce back from a split decision defeat to Deiveson Figueiredo last time out, Jackson will have to overcome Brazilian Barcelos, who is on a four-fight winning streak. That said, it’s the former who is the -186 favorite with FanDuel. He’ll look to try and finish this one early, with eight of his 15 career wins being by knockout.

“Quik” had won six straight fights prior to the Figueiredo loss, so will be hoping to get back on track here. Barcelos won’t make things easy, however, and he’ll be full of confidence after securing victories over the likes of Payton Talbott, Cody Garbrandt, and Ricky Simon. The Brazilian can get the upper hand the longer the fight goes on.

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Marcus Buchecha vs. Ryan Spann - Heavyweight Division

Known Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion Buchecha has struggled to make his mark on the UFC thus far, failing to win either of his first two fights. He lost to Martin Buday in his promotional debut last July before drawing with Kennedy Nzechukwu back in December. Still, he’s the -158 favorite with FanDuel up against Spann.

Spann has been fighting in the UFC for almost eight years, but has stalled of late, going 2-4 over his last six bouts. He snapped a three-fight skid with a submission triumph over Ovince Saint Preux before being finished by Waldo Cortes-Acosta. He enters this bout following a win over Łukasz Brzeski last summer.

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How to Watch UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal

• Location: Meta APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

• When: Saturday, April 25

• Time: 8:00 PM ET

• How to Watch: Paramount+