Youssef
Zalal is upset with Alexander
Volkanovski for never mentioning his name.
Volkanovski is one of the most game
UFC champions. “The Great” goes out of his way to call out
contenders who could potentially pose a threat to him. The
featherweight champion is one of the few fighters to call out
contenders like Movsar
Evloev and Lerone
Murphy.
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However, surging contender Zalal has seemingly escaped
Volkanovski’s notice so far. Zalal is scheduled to headline
UFC Fight Night 274 against Aljamain
Sterling on April 25 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Zalal notes
that Volkanovski has mentioned Sterling multiple times. “The
Moroccan Devil” wants to make a statement with a win over Sterling
so that Volkanovski is bound to mention his name.
The Chance to Make a Statement
“The one thing that still pisses me off and I can’t wait to prove
it, is Volk doesn’t mention my name ever, in any interviews,
anything,” Zalal told MMAjunkie.com. “He mentioned Aljamain plenty of
times, so I’m excited to go for a statement and really show ‘The
Great’ how great I am.”
Zalal (18-5) made his UFC debut in 2020 and started his journey
with three straight wins. However, Zalal was released in 2022 after
a four-fight winless streak. Zalal racked up three first-round
finishes on the regional circuit to earn another shot at the UFC.
Zalal started his second UFC stint in 2024, racking up five
straight wins with four finishes. The 29-year-old is coming off a
submission win over Josh Emmett
at UFC 320 last October.
Meanwhile, Sterling (25-5) moved up to featherweight after losing
his bantamweight title to Sean O’Malley in 2023. “Funkmaster’ has
since sandwiched a loss against Movsar
Evloev between wins over Calvin
Kattar and Brian
Ortega.