When a UFC fighter’s title reign at a weight class is done, or if they have run out of realistic chances to gain a division’s belt, sometimes they will switch weight classes to try to give their career new life. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always go for the better.

But for Aljamain Sterling, it really seems to have gone pretty well, at least so far.

UFC Vegas 116 had an intriguing main event. You had Sterling, a former UFC bantamweight champion, looking to prove he belongs in the upper echelon of contenders for UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. And Sterling’s opponent was Youssef Zalal, unbeaten since the end of his first run with the UFC. Returning to the Octagon in 2024, he was 5-0 entering this bout.

Sterling and Zalal started things competitively, though Sterling seemed to have a slight edge in terms of striking. But where Sterling really had control? The ground, of course.

Even with Zalal developing into a strong, well-rounded fighter, Sterling spent half of round one on top, controlling the action. He continued this into the second round, which played similarly to the first, with Sterling adding in some ground-and-pound before the round’s end.

Sterling did face a little trouble, however, in the third round. Firstly, Zalal managed to lock up a decent guillotine that Sterling had to work his way out of. Zalal also got to work on Sterling’s back and had his best striking in the entire frame.

But why is everyone calling this performance dominant? Because after facing that trouble, “Funkmaster” gave Zalal hell right back – and then some.

The fourth round of this fight was perhaps one of the most dominant seen in the Octagon so far this year. Sterling had over four minutes of control time in this round, dominating with strong ground-and-pound and submission attempts. It was unanimously agreed by the judges, and a lot of the MMA community, that it was a 10-8 round.

By the time the fifth ended, Sterling secured almost 14 minutes – nearly three full rounds – of control time on the ground. His wrestling was on full display and led to him scoring the decision win.

Sterling – who entered this fight No. 5 in the UFC’s featherweight rankings – made a statement in this fight that he is a legitimate threat to the championship. The question is, how much closer does this fight get him to the title shot?

Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy fought to a controversial decision last month. Evloev got the win – and many feel he is long overdue for a shot at the title. Others had it scored for Murphy, and several (this writer included) had the bout scored a draw.

Jean Silva is ranked right behind Sterling as of now. And when Dana White, UFC CEO and President, spoke following the Evloev vs. Murphy fight, you could see a look on his face when a reporter suggested the possibility of Silva jumping the two of them to challenge Volkanovski.

Then, you have a performance like this from Sterling to mix things up even more. The only sure-fire thing is that Diego Lopes, who has now lost twice to Volkanovski, won’t be getting a title shot.

But if Sterling doesn’t get a title shot, perhaps he next faces Lopes in a title eliminator to try and lock one up.

One thing to take away from this dominant win over a rising contender – even as he nears 37 years of age, Aljamain Sterling hasn’t shown he’s going away any time soon.

Last year was quite a disaster for the Cleveland Browns. The defense led by Myles Garrett looked great for most of the season, but was let down by the worst offense in the sport at almost every turn. That being said, the plan moving forward is pretty simple: improve the offense at all costs.

It hasn’t been the flashiest upgrades for the Browns, but you can absolutely say that entering the start of 2026, the Cleveland Browns are a better football team than the year prior.

The Browns’ biggest concern starts and ends with the offensive line. Cleveland had a historically bad offensive line last year and should be vastly improved this season. I doubt they have an elite unit up front, but whoever is taking snaps behind that offensive line should be in a much better position than the rotating cast calling plays last year.

Spencer Fano is the “flashiest” addition to this offensive line. Fano is projected to be the Browns starting left tackle this year, but I’m not sure if that will be his forever position. He has a smaller frame and shorter arms for a left tackle, but his tape was great at Utah last year. No matter the case, he will be an immediate improvement for the Browns.

Cleveland continued with their o-line overhaul by signing veterans Elgton Jenkins and Zion Johnson. These two were slightly overpaid, but the Browns needed so much help that it doesn’t really matter how they got it done. The last big addition on the line was trading a 5th-rounder to the Texans for Tytus Howard. Houston felt like they wouldn’t be able to afford Howard, so it was a no-doubt move for the Browns.

It’s not the first time these two teams have traded; the more well-known move was Houston’s trade of Deshaun Watson to the Browns. That move has been a well-documented disaster, but with the added offensive line help and two solid receiver picks early in the draft in KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston, Cleveland will be more potent on offense, with Watson or Shedeur Sanders playing quarterback.

Finally, the defense didn’t need a ton of help, but after losing Devin Bush to the Bears, immediately solving that issue by adding Quincy Williams was a great move.

Do I think the Browns will contend in the AFC North, or a Wild Card spot? No, not really, but this team will be far more watchable than last season. Also, if these moves end up working, you might be able to go all in on a quarterback you like in the draft. Things could be looking up in Cleveland.