Former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling’s next fight will be against Youssef Zalal at UFC Fight Night 274 on April 25th at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas.

The 36-year-old Sterling is coming off a unanimous decision win over Brian Ortega in his only fight last year that leaves him ranked No.5 in the division.

Since losing the 135lb title back in 2023 after a TKO loss to Sean O’Malley, Sterling has also earned a decision win over Calvin Kattar, which was followed by a loss on the scorecards to Movsar Evloev.

Now he’ll take on the in-form Zalal, who had only mustered a 3-3-1 record during his first stint in the Octagon back in 2020-2021.

However, since his return in 2024 he’s gone unbeaten in five fights, defeating the likes of Billy Quarantillo, Jack Shore, Calvin Kattar and most recently Josh Emmett, with four of those wins coming via submission.

Sterling vs. Zalal is expected to serve as the main event for the UFC Fight Night 274 show, which will also feature Raoni Barcelos vs. Montel Jackson, Rodolfo Vieira vs. Eric McConico and Norma Dumont vs. Joselyne Edwards.