Youssef Zalal (born September 4, 1996) is a Moroccan

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competed in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, t ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

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.

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 Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his promotional debut, Youssef faced fellow newcomer

Austin Lingo Austin Lingo (born July 10, 1994) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life Lingo began training in martial arts at a young age after his father found out he� ...

on February 8, 2020, at

UFC 247 ''UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 8, 2020 at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background A UFC Light Heavyweight Championship ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Youssef faced

Jordan Griffin Jordan Griffin (born February 23, 1990) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Legacy Fighting Alliance and Ki ...

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 Choi Seung-woo ( ko, 최승우; born November 3, 1992), often anglicized Seung Woo Choi, is a Korean mixed martial artist (MMA). Choi was the former Top Fighting Championship Featherweight Champion (Two times) and 2010 Bronze medalist at Muay ...

on October 11, 2020, at

UFC Fight Night 179 ''UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 179'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 37'' and ''UFC Fight Island 5'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 11, 2020 at ...

. However, on October 1, 2020, Choi withdrew from the fight and was replaced by

Ilia Topuria Ilia Topuria ( ka, ილია თოფურია) (born January 21, 1997) is a Georgian and Spanish mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight and Featherweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. As of December 13, 20 ...

. Zalal lost the fight via unanimous decision. Zalal faced

, replacing Collin Anglin, on February 6, 2021, at

UFC Fight Night 184 ''UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 184'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 42'' and ''UFC Vegas 18'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 6, 2021 at the UF ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Zalal faced

Sean Woodson Sean Woodson (born June 7, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight and Lightweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Growing up in North County, Sean Woodson’s dad was the driving in ...

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

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. 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

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Aurora, Colorado Aurora (, ) is a home rule municipality located in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties, Colorado, United States. The city's population was 386,261 at the 2020 United States Census with 336,035 residing in Arapahoe County, 47,720 residing in ...

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Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

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San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a consolidated city and county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sections 10-13 of the Constitution of the State of Colorado. The Broomfield populati ...

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Vail, Colorado Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the num ...

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Prior Lake, Minnesota Prior Lake is an exurban city southwest of Minneapolis seated next to Savage and Shakopee in Scott County in the state of Minnesota. Surrounding the shores of Lower and Upper Prior Lake, the city lies south of the Minnesota River in an area k ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zalal, Youssef 1996 births Living people Moroccan male mixed martial artists American male mixed martial artists Sportspeople from Casablanca Moroccan practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Moroccan emigrants to the United States Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters