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

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who currently competes 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, ...

division of the

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

(UFC). As of April 29, 2025, he is #12 in the UFC featherweight rankings.

Early life

Zalal grew up fighting other kids on the streets of

Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...

. His mother put him in kickboxing at the age of 10 to help control his anger. Zalal moved to the United States at age 15.

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 The Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Houston, Texas. It was created as a result of the Legacy Fighting Championship and Resurrection Fighting Alliance merg ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In his promotional debut, Youssef faced fellow newcomer Austin Lingo 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 Championshi ...

. 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 (MMA), Featherweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Legacy Fig ...

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 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 professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he i ...

. Zalal lost the fight via unanimous decision. Zalal faced Seung Woo Choi, 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 Lawrence Woodson (born June 7, 1992) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Growing up in North County, Sean Woodson’s dad was the driving ...

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

Following his release from the UFC, Youssef Zalal made a strong comeback in the MMA circuit. He showcased his skills at Sparta 93 on November 18, 2022, where he triumphed over Edwin Chavez via TKO within the first round. Zalal continued his winning streak on January 20, 2023, at SCL: Fight Night 14 - King of Sparta Welterweight, defeating Jake Childers also by TKO in the first round. His remarkable run persisted as he secured another victory on August 19, 2023, at Sparta Combat League 98, submitting Vadim Zadnipryanyi with an arm-triangle choke in the first round.

Return to UFC

Zalal faced Billy Quarantillo, replacing Gabriel Miranda, on March 23, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 53. He won the bout by a rear-naked choke submission in the second round. Zalal faced Jarno Errens on August 10, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 61. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the first round. This fight earned him a '' Performance of the Night'' award. Zalal faced Jack Shore on November 2, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 246. He won the fight via an arm-triangle choke in the second round. This fight earned him another '' Performance of the Night'' award. Zalal faced

Calvin Kattar Calvin Kattar ( ; born March 26, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist and owner of MMA promotion ''Combat Zone''. He currently competes in the Featherweight (MMA), Featherweight division of the Ultimate Figh ...

on February 15, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 251. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Performance of the Night (Two times) **UFC.com Awards *** 2020: Ranked #7 Newcomer of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

, - , , align=center, 17–5–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , , align=center, 16–5–1 , Jack Shore , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:59 ,

Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, Canada , , - , , align=center, 15–5–1 , Jarno Errens , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on ESPN: Tybura vs. Spivac 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:52 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–5–1 , Billy Quarantillo , Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:50 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–5–1 , Vadim Zadnipryanyi , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Sparta Combat League 98 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:48 ,

Superior, Colorado Superior is a Home Rule Town in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, with a small, uninhabited segment of land area extending into Jefferson County. Superior is a suburban community with a population of 13,361 as of 2024. Located in Colo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–5–1 , Jake Childers , TKO (punches) , Sparta Combat League: Fight Night 14 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:53 ,

Aurora, Colorado Aurora (, ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city located in Arapahoe County, Colorado, Arapahoe, Adams County, Colorado, Adams, and Douglas County, Colorado, Douglas List of counties in Colorado, counti ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–5–1 , Edwin Chavez , TKO (punches) , Sparta Combat League 93 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:44 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, , Da'Mon Blackshear , Draw (majority) , UFC on ESPN: Vera vs. Cruz , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–5 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–4 , Choi Seung-woo , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2 , Peter Barrett , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , Austin Lingo , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–2 , Jaime Hernandez , KO (flying knee) , LFA 79 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 ,

Broomfield, Colorado Broomfield is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county located in the United States, U.S. Colorado, state of Colorado. It has a consolidated government which operates under Article XX, Sect ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 , Matt Jones , Decision (split) , LFA 65 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Vail, Colorado Vail is a Home rule in the United States, home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, 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 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Jose Mariscal , Decision (unanimous) , LFA 57 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Steven Merrill , Submission (brabo choke) , LFA 56 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:22 ,

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

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Daniel Soto , Submission (rear-naked choke) , LFA 39 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:38 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Joey Banks , Submission (armbar) , Paramount MMA: Contenders , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:58 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Clay Wimer , Submission (guillotine choke) , Mile High MMAyhem 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:42 ,

Glendale, Colorado The City of Glendale is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality located in an exclave of Arapahoe County, Colorado, Arapahoe County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 4,613 at the 2020 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Maurice Salazar , TKO (punches) , LFA 22 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:41 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Michael Santos , Submission (brabo choke) , Sparta Combat League 61 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:38 ,

, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zalal, Youssef 1996 births Living people Moroccan male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Moroccan practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Sportspeople from Casablanca 21st-century Moroccan sportsmen Moroccan emigrants to the United States