Youssef Zalal has a three-pronged philosophy about how to stay grounded.
A fourth unofficial philosophy might be to make sure his impression game is strong. It not only could be a hit at parties, but who knows what it could lead to?
It turns out Zalal’s impression of superstar comedian and actor Kevin Hart is pretty spot-on. Ahead of a featherweight fight against longtime contender Calvin Kattar at UFC Fight Night 251 on Feb. 15 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+), Zalal showed off his talent to MMA Junkie Radio.
You can see and hear the remarkable audial doppelganger in the video above. But as for the philosophy Zalal has, it’s a tenant that goes beyond doing a good Kevin Hart.
“Discipline, consistency and faith is most important in life,” Zalal told MMA Junkie Radio. “You have those three things, I think you can go anywhere you want. Anything you want in this world, you can have. I don’t care what your faith is. I don’t care what you believe in. You have something that you believe in, it means you know you’re not above everybody. I feel like some people forget that and get plateaued and we forget about that stuff.
“I know I’m a human. I’ve lost before. I know there’s a lot of things that can happen in life and outside life and stuff like that. But I stay consistent and I stay disciplined to my game and to my culture and it’s paying off.”
The 36-year-old Moroccan featherweight is in his second stint with the UFC. He currently is on a six-fight winning streak, all finishes, with three straight submission wins in his return to the UFC.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.
