Hard Work Paying Dividends For Youssef Zalal

“I was freaking out,” recalls Zalal. “I was like, this is the guy I'm fighting? I'm a big fan.”

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But did he want the fight?

“I can't say no to that,” he laughs. “That's the biggest opportunity. And I remember I looked him up online, and was like, ‘He's number 10 in the world.’ Yes, please. It was awesome just to see the work that we've been doing come to reality a little bit. It gives you a little calmness and a little satisfaction, but you’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

It’s the perfect attitude to have before such a big moment this weekend in the APEX in Las Vegas – excited, confident, but still humble enough to know that to beat Kattar, Zalal will have to bring his “A” game. As of late, he’s done just that, going three for three with three finishes and two Performance of the Night bonuses since returning to the UFC after a year-and-a-half absence.

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During that absence, which followed his release from the promotion after going 3-3-1 during his first stint in the promotion, Zalal fought like a man possessed, winning and finishing three fights on the regional circuit. It was seemingly enough to get a return call from the UFC, but at this time last year, “The Moroccan Devil” didn’t know what his future held.

“I didn't know if I was going to have another chance, to be honest,” Zalal admits. “I was kind of getting down to a point where I'm like, ‘I don't know, what are we doing this for?’ It took a lot of maturity and a lot of experience and a lot of growth to go through that and then stay patient. And that was the biggest thing. My problem was that I’m obviously young and I'm impatient. I want to do this, I want to do that, but if you just go perform and do the things you're supposed to do, things will come to you or things will happen. Stay disciplined, stay believing in your faith and stay consistent.”

His faith was rewarded when he got a call to step in on short notice to face veteran Billy Quarantillo in March of last year. He accepted and submitted Quarantillo in the second round. Two more submissions – of Jarno Errens and Shore – followed, along with a pair of bonus checks. Now he’s in a co-main event against a top contender. What a whirlwind. 

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“Now, in February, I get to fight my fourth fight in the UFC in 11 months,” Zalal said. “I can't even make that up. I didn't know I was going to be at this position. I told you guys I want to be a world champion and I will be a world champion, but I didn't know it was going to happen this way. I didn't even know I was going to be back to fighting ever again after when I got kicked out of the UFC, to be honest. So it's definitely a lot of testing and a lot of growth when it happens.”

At 28, Zalal may not even be at his peak yet, but he’s fighting like he is. And as much work as he’s put in and as confident as he’s always been, he admits that the last year has surprised him a bit.

“I think the biggest thing is I surprised myself,” he said. “I really do believe that. I feel like all the belief I had in the first run as a kid, I still have that now, I think I just surprised myself and the skills that I bring. I knew I was good, but I was like, ’oh wow, you are really good.”