Youssef Zalal
Born (1996-09-04) September 4, 1996
Casablanca, Morocco
Other namesThe Moroccan Devil
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight136 lb (62 kg; 9 st 10 lb)
Division
Reach75 in (191 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofDenver, Colorado, United States
TeamFactory X
RankPurple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[1]
Years active2017–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total19
Wins13
By knockout4
By submission6
By decision3
Losses5
By decision5
Draws1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Youssef Zalal (born September 4, 1996) is a Moroccan mixed martial artist who competed in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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 13.[2]

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.[3]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his promotional debut, Youssef faced fellow newcomer Austin Lingo on February 8, 2020, at UFC 247.[4] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[5]

Youssef faced Jordan Griffin on June 27, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker.[6] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[7]

Zalal faced Peter Barrett at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik on August 8, 2020.[8] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[9]

Zalal was expected to face Seung Woo Choi on October 11, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 179.[10] However, on October 1, 2020, Choi withdrew from the fight and was replaced by Ilia Topuria.[11] Zalal lost the fight via unanimous decision.[12]

Zalal faced Seung Woo Choi, replacing Collin Anglin, on February 6, 2021, at UFC Fight Night 184.[13] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[14]

Zalal faced Sean Woodson on June 5, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai.[15] He lost the fight via split decision.[16]

Zalal was scheduled to face Cristian Quiñonez on August 13, 2022, at UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz.[17] However, Quiñonez was forced out of the event due to visa issues, and was replaced by Da'Mon Blackshear.[18] The fight ended in a majority draw.[19]

On August 25, 2022, it was announced that Zalal had been released from the UFC.[20]

Post UFC career

In his first bout after his UFC release, Zalal faced Edwin Chavez on November 18, 2022, at Sparta 93. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[21]

On January 20, 2023, Zalal faced Jake Childers, at SCL: Fight Night 14 - King of Sparta Welterweight. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
19 matches 13 wins 5 losses
By knockout 4 0
By submission 6 0
By decision 3 5
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 13–5–1 Vadim Zadnipryanyi Submission (arm-triangle choke) Sparta 98 August 19, 2023 1 3:48 Superior, Colorado, United States
Win 12–5–1 Jake Childers TKO (punches) SCL: Fight Night 14 January 20, 2023 1 1:53 Aurora, Colorado, United States
Win 11–5–1 Edwin Chavez TKO (punches) Sparta 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 Seung Woo Choi 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 March 16, 2018 3 1:58 Denver, Colorado, United States
Win 3–0 Clay Wimer Submission (guillotine choke) Mile High MMAyhem 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) SCL 61 August 19, 2017 3 1:38 Denver, Colorado, United States Featherweight debut.

[22]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Youssef Zalal | UFC". UFC.com. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Youssef Zalal is ready for the spotlight". UFC.
  3. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Youssef". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  4. ↑ Nolan King and Mike Bohn (2020-01-29). "UFC 247 adds last-minute bout between newcomers Austin Lingo and Youssef Zalal". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  5. ↑ Shillan, Keith (2020-07-08). "UFC 247 Results: Youssef Zalal earns unanimous decision over fellow newcomer Austin Lingo". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
  6. ↑ MMA Fighting (2020-06-19). "Jordan Griffin vs. Youssef Zalal added to June 27 UFC show in Las Vegas". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  7. ↑ Doherty, Dan (2020-06-27). "UFC on ESPN 12 results: Youssef Zalal outworks Jordan Griffin". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  8. ↑ King, Nolan (2020-07-08). "UFC on ESPN+ 32's Peter Barrett predicts 'ugly, bloody, disgusting, savage' fight vs. Youssef Zalalo". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  9. ↑ Doherty, Dan (2020-08-08). "UFC Vegas 6 Results: Youssef Zalal outclasses Peter Barrett". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-08-08.
  10. ↑ David Tees (2020-08-17). "Youssef Zalal faces Seungwoo Choi at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen". fightful.com. Retrieved 2020-08-18.
  11. ↑ DNA, MMA (2020-10-02). "Toptalent Ilia Topuria tekent bij de UFC, treft Youssef Zalal op 10 oktober in Abu Dhabi". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  12. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (2020-10-10). "UFC Fight Island 5 Results: Ilia Topuria Stays Undefeated in Debut Win Over Youssef Zalal". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-10-11.
  13. ↑ DNA, MMA (2021-01-28). "BREAKING: Youssef Zalal vervangt Collin Anglin tegen Seung Woo Choi op 6 februari". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-01-28.
  14. ↑ Evanoff, Josh (2021-02-06). "UFC Vegas 18 Results: After Over a Year Away, Seung Woo Choi Defeats Youssef Zalal". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  15. ↑ Farah Hannoun and Nolan King (2021-03-12). "Youssef Zalal vs. Sean Woodson added to UFC Fight Night on June 5". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-03-12.
  16. ↑ Behunin, Alex (2021-06-05). "UFC Vegas 28 Results: Sean Woodson Back in Win Column with Split Decision Over Zalal". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-06-06.
  17. ↑ "Cristian Quiñonez vs. Youssef Zalal agregado a UFC San Diego - MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español". mma.uno (in Spanish). 2022-07-27. Retrieved 2022-07-30.
  18. ↑ Nolan King and Farah Hannoun (2022-08-03). "CFFC bantamweight champ Da'Mon Blackshear signs with UFC, faces Youssef Zalal in San Diego". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  19. ↑ Bitter, Shawn (2022-08-13). "UFC San Diego: Youssef Zalal and Da'Mon Blackshear Fight to Draw". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  20. ↑ Taylor, Christopher (2022-08-25). "The UFC parts ways with four more fighters". | BJPenn.com. Retrieved 2022-08-26.
  21. ↑ "Youssef Zalal vs. Edwin Chavez, Sparta 93 | MMA Bout". Tapology. Retrieved 2022-12-09.
  22. ↑ Sherdog.com. "Youssef". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
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