Las Vegas – UFC returns to Meta APEX with another exciting featherweight main event double feature. First, on April 25, former UFC bantamweight champion and No. 5 ranked featherweight contender Aljamain Sterling faces off with fellow grappler No. 7 Youssef Zalal. The May 16 main event pits No. 8 ranked UFC featherweight contender Arnold Allen against No. 12 Melquizael Costa.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: STERLING vs. ZALAL takes place Saturday, April 25 in Las Vegas at Meta APEX. The prelims will air at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT, followed by the main card airing at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. All bouts will stream live on Paramount+.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: ALLEN vs. COSTA takes place Saturday, May 16 in Las Vegas at Meta APEX. The prelims will air at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT, followed by the main card airing at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. All bouts will stream live on Paramount+.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT: STERLING vs. ZALAL are available at AXS.com.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT: ALLEN vs. COSTA will go on sale Friday, April 10 at 10 a.m. PT and are available at AXS.com. Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. UFC Fight Club will have the opportunity to purchase tickets on Wednesday, April 8 at 10 a.m. PT via the website UFCFightClub.com. A special Internet ticket pre-sale will be available to UFC newsletter subscribers Thursday, April 9 at 10 p.m. PT. To access the pre-sale, users must register for the UFC newsletter through UFC.com.
Meta APEX VIP Experience packages are available via On Location, UFC’s Official VIP Experience Provider. Enjoy exclusive access with an official ticket package that includes premium seating, all-inclusive hospitality, in-seat beverage service, meet-and-greets with UFC Octagon Girls and more. Visit UFCVIP.com for more information.
Former champ Sterling (25-5, fighting out of Uniondale, N.Y.) steps into the Octagon for the first time in 2026. Owner of the most wins in UFC bantamweight history with 14, Sterling moved up to the featherweight division in 2024 and has secured wins over Calvin Kattar and former title challenger Brian Ortega. He now aims to further his quest to capture a second UFC title by taking out Zalal.
Zalal (18-5-1, fighting out of Casablanca, Morocco by way of Englewood, Co.) plans to make the most of his first UFC main event with another highlight-reel stoppage. Since returning to the UFC in 2024, he has gone undefeated with five wins in a row including four submissions over Josh Emmett, Jack Shore, Jarno Errens and Billy Qaurantillo. Zalal now intends to earn the biggest victory of his career by finishing his first former champion and breaking into the Top 5.
England’s Allen (20-4, fighting out of Trimley St. Martin, Suffolk, England) makes his second appearance of the year with his sights set on climbing back into title contention. A perennial top contender, he has proven himself as one of the best in the world with wins over Giga Chikadze, Dan Hooker and Sodiq Yusuff. Allen now seeks to defend his spot in the rankings against Costa.
Costa (26-7, fighting out of Bauru, São Paulo, Brazil) strives to keep his momentum rolling with another bonus-earning finish. Currently on a six fight win streak, Costa has shown off his skill set with first-round stoppages over Dan Ige, Morgan Charriere and Andre Fili. He now looks to become the first man to take out Allen before the final horn with a statement performance.*
Additional bouts for UFC FIGHT NIGHT: STERLING vs. ZALAL include:
- A battle of Top 5 women’s bantamweights features No. 3 Norma Dumont (13-2, fighting out of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil) taking on the streaking No. 11 Joselyne Edwards (17-6, fighting out of Panama City, Panama)
- No. 14 ranked UFC bantamweight Montel Jackson (15-3, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) meets veteran Raoni Barcelos (21-5, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
- An intriguing lightweight matchup features Rafa Garcia (18-4, fighting out of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico) and Alexander Hernandez (18-8, fighting out of San Antonio, Texas)
- All-action bantamweights collide as Davey Grant (17-8, fighting out of Bishop Auckland, County Durham, England) aims to spoil the UFC debut of Dana White’s Contender Series signee Adrian Juan Martinetti (17-1, fighting out of Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador)
- Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Talita Alencar (7-1-1, fighting out of Deerfield Beach, FL by way of Carutapera, Maranhão, Brazil) faces Julia Polastri (14-5, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) in a women’s strawweight tilt
- Grappling specialist Rodolfo Vieira (11-4, fighting out of Orlando, Fla.) returns to the Octagon to face Eric McConico (10-4-1, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.) at middleweight
- Multiple-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion Marcus Buchecha (5-2-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, FL by way of Santos, Sao Paulo, Brazil) returns to the Octagon against Ryan Spann (23-11, fighting out of Beaumont, Texas) at heavyweight
- Flyweight action sees Jafel Filho (17-4, fighting out of Sento Sé, Bahia, Brazil) and Lucas Rocha (18-2, fighting out of Coari, Amazonas, Brazil) go head-to-head
- No. 12 ranked UFC women’s bantamweight contender Mayra Bueno Silva (10-6-1 1NC, fighting out of Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil) intends to hand Michelle Montague (7-0, fighting out of Matamata, New Zealand) her first professional loss
- Jackson McVey (6-2, fighting out of St. Charles, Mo.) and Sedriques Dumas (10-4 1NC, fighting out of Pensacola, Fla.) clash at middleweight
Additional bouts for UFC FIGHT NIGHT: BRADY vs. BUCKLEY include:
- An exciting featherweight bout pits Dooho Choi (16-4-1, fighting out of Busan, South Korea) against Daniel Santos (14-2, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- Rising star Malcolm Wellmaker (10-1, fighting out of Augusta, Ga.) returns to the Octagon to take on Dana White’s Contender Series signee Juan Diaz (15-1-1, fighting out of Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico) at bantamweight
- Welterweight veterans lock horns as Jeremiah Wells (13-4-1, fighting out of Philadelphia, Pa.) meets Nicolas Dalby (24-6-1 2NC, fighting out of Copenhagen, Denmark)
- No. 4 ranked UFC women’s bantamweight contender Ketlen Vieira (15-5, fighting out of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil) faces No. 10 Jacqueline Cavalcanti (10-1, fighting out of Almada, Portugal)
- Trey Ogden (18-7 1NC, fighting out of Kansas City, Mo.) goes toe-to-toe with Dana White’s Contender Series standout Thomas Gantt (11-0 1NC) at lightweight
- An intriguing light heavyweight contest sees Modestas Bukauskas (19-7, fighting out of London, England by way of Klaipeda, Lithuania) against Rodolfo Bellato (13-3-1-1, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
- Cody Brundage (11-9-1-1, fighting out of Englewood, Colo.) and Andre Petroski (13-6, fighting out of Philadelphia, Pa.) clash in a battle of middleweight grapplers
- Women’s strawweight action pits Shauna Bannon (7-2, fighting out of Dublin, Ireland) against Nicolle Caliari (8-4, fighting out of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil)
- Daniel Barez (17-7, fighting out of Valencia, Spain) draws Luis Gurule (10-3, fighting out of Denver, Colo.) for a flyweight contest
- Timothy Cuamba (10-3, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) and Benardo Sopaj (12-3, fighting out of Fier, Albania) meet at bantamweight
- Light heavyweights Tuco Tokkos (11-5, fighting out of Deerfield Beach, Fla. by way of London, England) and Ivan Erslan (14-6 1NC, fighting out of Zagreb, Croatia) aim to put on a show
- Alice Ardelean (11-7, fighting out of Birmingham, England) takes on Polyana Viana (13-8, fighting out of São Geraldo do Araguaia, Pará, Brazil) in a women’s strawweight bout
For the latest information on bout announcements and additional information for this event, please visit www.ufc.com. All bouts are subject to change.
