Athletes
Youssef Zalal's New Sense Of Purpose
Factory X Standout Making The Most Of His Second Run In The UFC. He Meets Jack Shore Saturday In Edmonton.
Youssef Zalal was always an elite gym fighter. Then he figured out that what happens in the Factory X gym doesn’t always translate to the Octagon. And that light bulb moment changed the way he approached the sport. The result? A five-fight win streak that includes two submission victories over Billy Quarantillo and Jarno Errens in his second UFC stint.
“The one thing I learned with experience in this sport is that it does not matter what you do in training,” said Zalal, who faces Jack Shore on Saturday in Edmonton. “Some guys are just bad at training. They'll get their ass beat every day, and then when it comes to fight day, they're completely different fighters. So I stopped looking for that. ‘Yeah, I beat that guy.’ And you go in a fight, and he ends up really beating you up. So I don’t even look at it that way anymore. What I look at is what can I take from that experience that I had in those rounds? I feel like that's what’s most important in this sport. I feel that when we start plateauing, that's when we’ve got a problem.”
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There have been precious few problems for the 28-year-old since his first run in the UFC ended in 2022 with a draw against Da’Mon Blackshear, and it goes back to adjusting his mindset, since the raw skills were already there. We go on to talk about some of the fighters in the sport notorious for being horrible gym fighters but killers when the lights are on. I ask him who would fit the opposite mold.
Youssef Zalal Fight Week Interview | UFC Edmonton
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Youssef Zalal Fight Week Interview | UFC Edmonton
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“Me in the first go-round in the UFC,” he laughs. “You can ask everybody about it. Just bring it up. I guarantee you they're going to stop and then they're going to try to be nice. But I guarantee you, that was my thing. But now, if I look good in the gym, I want to look good in the fight. That's what pushes me and motivates me, to be honest, because I was that guy where they would say that we just need you to fight the way you train in the gym.”
That criticism didn’t sit well with him until he realized it was the truth. And once that truth sunk in, he became a different fighter.
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“I think the biggest thing was having a purpose,” Zalal said. “I feel like I was a kid just talking. Kids say, ‘I want to do this, I want to have this car, I want to have this.’ And I'm a very goal-oriented guy. Whatever it takes for me to get that goal, I want to get it. But I started really believing in the fame and not really doing the things that got me there in the first place. So I think that the experience is definitely the biggest thing. And obviously realizing it and getting comfortable with myself, that was the biggest thing.”
Having a little chip on his shoulder about the way his first UFC stint ended didn’t hurt either, so he’s been in a statement-making mood ever since he got the call back. And Saturday is another chance to make that statement against the highly regarded Shore.
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“This is the biggest chip on my shoulder right now,” he laughs. “Everybody knows who Jack Shore is. And I wasn’t even supposed to fight at the end of the year, but I'm on a good streak, I want to keep my streak going, and I don't want to be one of those guys who’s like, ‘I'll take my time, give me February or March.’ No, we’re on a roll. Let's prove to myself and everybody that this is why we're here. And when I heard the opportunity about Jack Shore, I couldn't say no to that.”
Zalal is excited about the future. Correction, he always sounds excited, but now, he can see a goal within his reach. And let’s not forget that the man in the way of Zalal’s goal – featherweight champion Ilia Topuria – is someone he gave a tough time before losing a close unanimous decision in October of 2020. Four years later, Zalal is back in the UFC and putting “El Matador” in his sights.
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“I fought the champ and, to be honest, he's my biggest motivator in this sport right now,” said Zalal. “Everything you see at that highest level is that he's just out working everybody in that division. And that's what motivates me and gets me super excited. I cannot wait until my turn comes.”
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Albazi took place live from Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on November 2, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!