# Youssef Zalal

Youssef Zalal (Arabic: يوسف زلال; born September 4, 1996) is a Moroccan professional mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of February 18, 2025, he is #12 in the UFC featherweight rankings.

## Early life

Zalal grew up fighting other kids on the streets of Morocco. His mother put him in kickboxing at the age of 10 to help control his anger. Zalal moved to the United States at age 15.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

In the beginning of his mixed martial arts career, Zalal fought primarily on the regional circuit in Colorado compiling a 7-2 record, with most of his fights happening for Legacy Fighting Alliance.

### Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his promotional debut, Youssef faced fellow newcomer Austin Lingo on February 8, 2020, at UFC 247. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Youssef faced Jordan Griffin on June 27, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Zalal faced Peter Barrett at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik on August 8, 2020. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Zalal was expected to face Seung Woo Choi on October 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 179. However, on October 1, 2020, Choi withdrew from the fight and was replaced by Ilia Topuria. Zalal lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Zalal faced Seung Woo Choi, replacing Collin Anglin, on February 6, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 184. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Zalal faced Sean Woodson on June 5, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai. He lost the fight via split decision.
Zalal was scheduled to face Cristian Quiñonez on August 13, 2022, at UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz. However, Quiñonez was forced out of the event due to visa issues, and was replaced by Da'Mon Blackshear. The fight ended in a majority draw.
On August 25, 2022, it was announced that Zalal had been released from the UFC.

### Post UFC career

Following his release from the UFC, Youssef Zalal made a strong comeback in the MMA circuit. He showcased his skills at Sparta 93 on November 18, 2022, where he triumphed over Edwin Chavez via TKO within the first round. Zalal continued his winning streak on January 20, 2023, at SCL: Fight Night 14 - King of Sparta Welterweight, defeating Jake Childers also by TKO in the first round. His remarkable run persisted as he secured another victory on August 19, 2023, at Sparta Combat League 98, submitting Vadim Zadnipryanyi with an arm-triangle choke in the first round.

### Return to UFC

Zalal faced Billy Quarantillo, replacing Gabriel Miranda, on March 23, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 53. He won the bout by a rear-naked choke submission in the second round.
Zalal faced Jarno Errens on August 10, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 61. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. This fight earned him a Performance of the Night award.
Zalal faced Jack Shore on November 2, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 246. He won the fight via an arm-triangle choke in the second round. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.
Zalal faced Calvin Kattar on February 15, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 251. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Ultimate Fighting Championship
** Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. Jarno Errens and Jack Shore
** UFC.com Awards
*** 2020: Ranked #7 Newcomer of the Year

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 23 matches | 17 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 0 |
| By submission | 9 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 5 |
| Draws | 1 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Win | 17–5–1 | Calvin Kattar | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues | February 15, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 16–5–1 | Jack Shore | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi | November 2, 2024 | 2 | 0:59 | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 15–5–1 | Jarno Errens | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC on ESPN: Tybura vs. Spivac 2 | August 10, 2024 | 1 | 3:52 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 14–5–1 | Billy Quarantillo | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas | March 23, 2024 | 2 | 1:50 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 13–5–1 | Vadim Zadnipryanyi | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Sparta Combat League 98 | August 19, 2023 | 1 | 3:48 | Superior, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 12–5–1 | Jake Childers | TKO (punches) | Sparta Combat League: Fight Night 14 | January 20, 2023 | 1 | 1:53 | Aurora, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 11–5–1 | Edwin Chavez | TKO (punches) | Sparta Combat League 93 | November 18, 2022 | 1 | 3:44 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Return to Featherweight. |
| Draw | 10–5–1 | Da'Mon Blackshear | Draw (majority) | UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz | August 13, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | San Diego, California, United States | Bantamweight debut. |
| Loss | 10–5 | Sean Woodson | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai | June 5, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 10–4 | Choi Seung-woo | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov | February 6, 2021 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 10–3 | Ilia Topuria | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen | October 11, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |
| Win | 10–2 | Peter Barrett | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik | August 8, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9–2 | Jordan Griffin | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker | June 27, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 8–2 | Austin Lingo | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 247 | February 8, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Jaime Hernandez | KO (flying knee) | LFA 79 | November 22, 2019 | 1 | 2:15 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Catchweight (140 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 6–2 | Matt Jones | Decision (split) | LFA 65 | May 3, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Vail, Colorado, United States | |
| Loss | 6–1 | Jose Mariscal | Decision (unanimous) | LFA 57 | January 18, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 6–0 | Steven Merrill | Submission (brabo choke) | LFA 56 | December 7, 2018 | 1 | 3:22 | Prior Lake, Minnesota, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Daniel Soto | Submission (rear-naked choke) | LFA 39 | May 4, 2018 | 2 | 1:38 | Vail, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Joey Banks | Submission (armbar) | Paramount MMA: Contenders | March 16, 2018 | 3 | 1:58 | Denver, Colorado, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Clay Wimer | Submission (guillotine choke) | Mile High MMAyhem 1 | October 27, 2017 | 2 | 2:42 | Glendale, Colorado, United States | Return to Featherweight. |
| Win | 2–0 | Maurice Salazar | TKO (punches) | LFA 22 | September 8, 2017 | 2 | 4:41 | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Lightweight debut. |
| Win | 1–0 | Michael Santos | Submission (brabo choke) | Sparta Combat League 61 | August 19, 2017 | 3 | 1:38 | Denver, Colorado, United States | Featherweight debut. |