(Exclusive) Youssef Zalal talks Las Vegas fight with top UFC contender Calvin Kattar

"The Morrocan Devil" Youssef Zalal previews his upcoming fight vs. #10 UFC featherweight Calvin Kattar.
Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

Youssef Zalal will finally get the shot at the rankings he's been asking for when he meets Calvin Kattar on Feb. 15.

It's a return to the UFC Apex for "The Morrocan Devil", who retired Jack Shore in front of a Canadian crowd last November. The submission win was Zalal's third-straight since re-signing to the UFC in 2024, earning him a Top 10 opponent in Kattar.

Kattar's seen and done it all in the featherweight division, except fight for a title, delayed by the likes of Max Holloway and Josh Emmett. Despite not having won in a while, the New England-native has remained in the rankings with previous wins over Giga Chikadze, Dan Ige, Jeremy Stephens, and Ricardo Lamas.

Top-ranked UFC featherweight Calvin Kattar.
Top-ranked UFC featherweight Calvin Kattar. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Zalal On Getting The Call

The last time Zalal was on a three-fight win streak in the UFC, he faced current champion Ilia Topuria. Next month, Zalal faces Kattar - a perennial contender.

"My manager calls me and he is like, Hey, do you think, do you want this fight?' And I said, 'What kind of question is this? Yeah, I'm gonna take this fight!'" Zalal told MMA Knockout. "We were working out, I was helping [David Onama] out training, like cut weight. And then I was like, literally, I had to stop for a second. I was like, 'Holy s***.' Like, I just got asked to fight Calvin Kattar. Like, are you kidding me? The rest was history."

"Obviously taking the fight and it took a minute to get to the fight, but obviously we got the contract finally and all that stuff. That was huge news to me, to actually get a ranked guy and a guy with that name and caliber... couldn't even be more grateful and blessed than anything to be honest."

Youssef Zalal has collected three-straight wins since rejoining the UFC.
Youssef Zalal has collected three-straight wins since rejoining the UFC. / Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

Prior to getting matched up with Kattar, Zalal said he had been calling for fights against Dan Ige and Josh Emmett, other ranked contenders that had previously locked horns with Kattar. Zalal wanted the chance to prove himself among elite competition, the exact opportunity presenting itself on Feb. 15.

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Not Looking Past Kattar

Styles makes fights. with Kattar vs. Zalal being your classic striker vs. grappler matchup. Kattar's known for his boxing, while Zalal has been snatching arm-triangle and rear-naked chokes in his last four fights.

Kattar's last performance saw the #10 contender dominated on the ground by former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, seeking takedown after takedown for a decision victory.

"I feel like a lot of people are not giving him the credit," Zalal said of Kattar's last fight. "You gotta see who he went with. That's Aljamain Sterling. Like if you watch Sterling's last fight vs. Movsar [Evloev], which is probably one of the best grapplers in that division, or probably the best grappler in that division to, to go in there and grapple like that and see how high level they are, to do it against Calvin, which he's mostly striking, never like really had to deal with a lot of takedowns and stuff like that.

Calvin Kattar was no match for former Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling's grappling at UFC 300.
Calvin Kattar was no match for former Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling's grappling at UFC 300. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

"So to go with a pure grappler, Aljamain did not wanna strike with him and we can tell that. I give him the credit man. It's a super, super tough fight and obviously it was just not his day. To go against a grappler like that. It's frustrating, it's annoying. So you really have to be on your guard a little bit, especially with guys like that. You have to have different weapons. That's the biggest thing."

'This Is The Toughest Puzzle'

Known for his submission skills, Youssef Zalal believes people are 'sleeping' on his striking, looking to show new levels to his game against Kattar.

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"I feel like people have been like, 'Oh yeah, he is just a grappler now... three submissions in a row, blah, blah, blah'. I was like, 'Hey, I love the grappling for sure. But hey, it's an MMA fight too, I can strike, too.' I feel like this is the toughest puzzle I'm going against in my career and I'm excited to go solve this puzzle and really have some fun with it."

Youssef Zalal submitted Jack Shore in his last outing in November.
Youssef Zalal submitted Jack Shore in his last outing in November. / Perry Nelson-Imagn Images

With a win next month and entry into the featherweight Top 10, Zalal says he'd like headline his first UFC event later this year.

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Published
Christopher De Santiago
CHRISTOPHER DE SANTIAGO

Christopher De Santiago is a 22 year-old journalist from Gainesville, Texas with years of experience covering MMA.