Youssef Zalal excited for short-notice UFC 247 debut fight
Youssef Zalal wasn’t allowed much time for excitement ahead of his UFC debut.
On 12 days’ notice, Zalal (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) accepted a bout against Austin Lingo at Saturday’s UFC 247. After years of dedicating his life to the specific goal of making the big leagues, Zalal couldn’t celebrate – but he’s OK with that.
“I’m pumped, but I’m saving my excitement until after the fight,” Zalal told MMA Junkie. “I’ve got to handle business first. I’m very grateful and blessed for the opportunity. This is what I’ve been working for, but it’s just another fight.”
Short notice or not, Zalal said he was ready when he received the call. The 23-year-old featherweight believes he’s in fight shape and expects he’ll be in prime form Saturday.
“We were training for five weeks straight in a row (with) recovery and strength and conditioning,” Zalal said. “We were ready to beat world champions. We were ready for a fight. Then all of a sudden my manager calls me and tells me I’m fighting in the UFC now. We stopped looking for (LFA) fights. I’m like, ‘(Expletive), yeah. Let’s do it.’”
Since his LFA debut in 2017, many experts thought Zalal had great UFC promise. However, his signing at this exact moment came as a surprise to some, considering he’s lost two of his most recent three fights. Zalal wishes to assure that any doubt will be off the table after his performance at UFC 247.
“People are going to talk and talk and talk, ‘Oh yeah, he had two losses and then one win, blah, blah, blah,’” Zalal said. “All of those guys that talk, look at them. It makes no sense to me. For me, I’ve fought my ass off in those last two fights. Some of them, I got jacked, basically. I was robbed of some decisions, but to me it doesn’t matter. Everything happens for a reason.
“I’m here and on Saturday, Feb. 8, I get to show you who I am. I’ll show him how great I am. Like Muhammad Ali said, I don’t have to prove to people nothing. I have to prove things to myself. That’s all I have to do.”
Born in Casablanca, Zalal proudly wears his Moroccan heritage on his sleeve. His nickname is “The Moroccan Devil.” MMA hasn’t seen a ton of fighters represent Morocco on the big stage, but Zalal is thrilled to be one of the few.
“It’s the best feeling in the world,” Zalal said. “I can’t wait to represent with a whole country behind me. We only have three Moroccans now officially in the UFC. I’m the youngest one. I could not be more proud and happy to represent my country and my heritage.
“It means a lot to me and it means a lot to my family. It means a lot to the people back home.”
UFC 247 takes place Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on UFC Fight Pass/ESPN+.
