Youssef Zalal: I’m going to make sure I welcome him, for sure!”
“The Moroccan Devil” Youssef Zalal saves the day, once again! Known as a man who fully seizes opportunity, Zalal is on a fast track, looking to improve to 3-0 in the UFC octagon. With all of his promotional bouts thus far being on short notice, Zalal will fill in on short notice, once again on Saturday, August 8th against Peter Barrett in place of Steve Garcia.
Fresh off of a unanimous decision win against Jordan Griffin, just weeks ago; Zalal vs Barrett will set the stage early on the undercard of UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Oleinik at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV.
“The Moroccan Devil” received the phone call at roughly 11pm before a late night evening of gaming. “I thought I did something bad”, Zalal says with a laugh. “Like, what the hell is going on?!” Once the news became evident, he remembers thinking, “You ain’t got nothing else to do and this is your job!” The Factory X featherweight standout affirmed his decision reminding himself, “might as well take the best opportunities you can! So, thats exactly what I’m doing. I see an opportunity in my face, I’ll take it!”
Just like that, the 23 year old Colorado resident is locked in for his 3rd endeavor in the UFC cage. Discussing the matchup with Barrett, Zalal gives his honest assessment on Barrett stating, ”He’s like, a real grindy guy, man! He just stays on you! He’ll just throw!”
Excited for the opportunity at another look inside the cage, Zalal says, “I’m excited to have him really push me to some level that I’ve never been pushed before.” Pointing out, “I see him coming out hard, trying to take my head off just like every body else like the last few”, he adds with a laugh. Giving his final thoughts on the bout, Zalal says, “Its a tough matchup. He’s not no easy guy. I’m excited about that; to really test myself.”
With a simple reminder, “I’m not easy to hit!”
Tune in above as MyMMANews catches up for another pre-fight interview with the “Moroccan Devil” Youssef Zalal. We discuss the upcoming bout with Barrett, fighting in front of a crowd opposed to no crowd. Zalal discusses utilizing a secret weapon of Colorado altitude training. He also opens up about abandoning plans for a move to the flyweight division to step up his strength and conditioning in an effort to bulk up his frame for featherweight.
