A featherweight matchup pitting Youssef
Zalal against Calvin
Kattar is in the works for UFC
Fight Night 251.
Zalal confirmed the pairing on social media following an initial
report from MMAjunkie.com. Zalal also previously mentioned
the bout on the JAXXON Podcast. UFC Fight Night 251 takes place on
Feb. 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a
middleweight showdown between Gregory
Rodrigues and Jared
Cannonier.
Zalal, who was named Sherdog’s “Comeback Fighter of the Year” for 2024, has won his last six
professional apppearances — including three straight in UFC
competition. “The Moroccan Devil” went 3-3-1 during his first UFC
stint, exiting the Las Vegas-based promotion on the heels of a
four-bout winless streak. He has since turned things around in a
big way and is coming off triumphs over Billy
Quarantillo, Jarno
Errens and Jack Shore
in the Octagon.
Kattar, meanwhile, is in the midst of a three-fight skid. In his
last outing, “The Boston Finisher” dropped a three-round verdict to
former bantamweight champ Aljamai Sterling at UFC 300. Kattar is
7-5 in the promotion, with notable triumphs over the likes of
Giga
Chikadze, Dan Ige,
Jeremy
Stephens, Ricardo
Lamas and Shane
Burgos to his credit.