It was a big deal for Youssef
Zalal to share the Octagon with Calvin
Kattar.
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So much so that Zalal even needed a little reminder from his coach
that he belonged in the cage with the accomplished featherweight
before their fight in the UFC
Vegas 102 co-main event in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
“I don’t think people realize how much pressure I put on myself in
every single fight. I remember coach telling me before I walked
out: ‘He’s just a face, remove the name.’ I’m still learning that,”
Zalal said at the post-fight press conference. “I’m a fan of this
sport, No. 1. Also, sometimes I go in there and forgot that I am
that good. I am that exciting, I am that guy.”
Zalal relied on speed and mobility to cruise to a unanimous
decision triumph over Kattar in their clash, earning his fourth
consecutive
UFC triumph — and seventh victory in a row overall. An accurate
jab and solid leg kicks were the weapons of choice for “The
Moroccan Devil” as he racked up a lead on the scorecards over the
first 10 minutes. A late push from Kattar in the final frame wasn’t
enough to change the outcome, as he struggled track his opponent
down for the majority of the fight.
Despite earning the biggest victory of his career to date, Zalal
acknowledged there is still plenty of room for improvement.
“I don’t think people understand. I’m one of the biggest fans of
Calvin. When I got the call, the inner child in me lost his s—t. It
was an honor just to fight him and be in the same Octagon with
him,” Zalal said.
“I know where my level’s at. This is not the best level you’ve seen
yet. I’m telling you right now. I’m gonna keep being hard on
myself, and I can’t wait to keep proving that to myself.”
The Factory
X representative entered Saturday night on a three-fight
submission streak in UFC competition. While grappling was initially
part of the game plan, Zalal claimed that Kattar was more slippery
than a normal opponent.
“This is the crazy part: We worked a lot of grappling, and I sh—t
you not, I felt like there’s Vaseline all over his legs,” Zalal
said. “I swear to God, he was the most slipperiest guy I’ve ever
seen in my life, and I felt like I’m not trying to be that guy with
this and that … But man, that was suspicious, bro.
“100% more than normal sweat] Nobody slides like that – that quick.
I’ve fought a lot of good guys – Jack Shore
and all those guys – and I felt when you’re dry and all that stuff,
there’s no way. It is what it is. You can cheat the sport, you can
do whatever you want. At the end of the day, I’m doing me and
that’s what’s gonna get me to the top.”
Zalal is eager to take the next step in his MMA career, and that
means an even bigger stage — and a bigger name — for his next
Octagon appearance.
“I told you guys in 2024, I want to headline a card at the [UFC]
Apex. Obviously, I want to start slow and get my things going.
There are two names. I know Yair [Rodriguez] is out there looking
for an opponent, and I know Brian
Ortega is trying to go up to 155. I’m just out here trying to
have fun and change my life,” Zalal said.
“These are legends. I want to hear them say ‘He’s an ex-champ’ and
stuff like this. I want to be in that conversation. ‘He won against
an ex champ,’ and ‘Title this’ and ‘Title that’ – I just want to
keep the book going. I want to keep giving hope to these upcoming
guys who leave the UFC and lose hope. You never lose hope in life.”