EDMONTON, Alberta, Canada – UFC event headliner. That’s a label Youssef Zalal wants to have by the end of 2025.
The rising UFC featherweight prospect has had a stellar return to the promotion. Zalal (16-5-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) returned earlier this year after being cut in 2022 and has picked up three consecutive submission wins in the octagon, including Saturday at UFC Fight Night 246.
Zalal was not only confident he was going to put away Jack Shore (17-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC), but that he was also going to kill it in his return to the UFC.
“This is what I expected,” Zalal told reporters at the UFC Fight Night 246 post-fight press conference. “This is the pressure that I put on myself. I feel like before, I was just like, ‘Oh I just want to win,’ and I tell this to my coaches and team and young, upcoming guys: ‘Winning is cool, but performing is better.’ This is the difference between being good and being elite.'”
For Zalal, the next step goes beyond getting a good name for his next outing. He’s also like to compete in the main event of a UFC card.
“I’ve been calling all these guys out,” Zalal said. “I called (out Edson) Barboza. I called Alex Caceres. I called all those guys. My goal is to headline a card in 2025, and I’m on the path of doing that. I’ll keep doing what I need to do to earn that spot, and my time will come.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 246.
