Youssef Zalal thinks his UFC future is at bantamweight after win over Griffin

LAS VEGAS – Youssef Zalal beat Jordan Griffin with a unanimous decision Saturday to open the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 12 in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Zalal, who picked up his third straight win after back-to-back decision losses that were the only setbacks of his career.

Result: Youssef Zalal def. Jordan Griffin via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Updated records: Zalal (9-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC), Griffin (18-8 MMA, 1-3 UFC)
Key stat: Griffin landed a pair of takedowns to keep things close, but Zalal won the overall striking battle 80-30.

Zalal on the fight’s key moment

“My coach was right there. He looked at me in the eyes and he was like, ‘We’ve got to finish. Let’s go. This is the round.’ … That was a very good thing for me, but I’m mad I didn’t just finish it. That’s going to bother me forever.”

Zalal on being disappointed

“Every time I fight, I don’t know why – I think it’s a curse that follows me. Even when I go knock somebody out or do something like that, I never feel satisified. I don’t know what it is. I’m 2-0 in the UFC, but I’m still not very satisfied with this performance.”

Zalal on what he wants next

“Me and my coaches are talking about bantamweight. I’m a skinny guy. … I really think about that bantamweight division. I could really go out there and do some noise down there.”

To hear more from Zalal, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.