Yousef Zalal packed his bags at the host hotel where he will be staying with dozens of other UFC contenders.
What a shame. After thinking he had a second chance, he finds himself back in the pool of his corpse with an uncertain future.
Less than 24 hours after “TUF 32” producers knocked on his door to tell him he was in the final batch of cuts, Zalal (13-5-1 MMA, 3-3-1 UFC) I received a phone call. His soul again. What a roller coaster.
Zalal now calls his exit from the UFC the “best thing” that ever happened to him, but he probably didn't realize it until manager Jason House directly informed him he wanted the promotion. right. There are no reality shows. There is no Dana White Contender Series. Straight entry short notice fight against Billy Quarantillo (18-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC).
“It’s so weird,” Zalal recently told MMA Junkie. “When I received the show, I was actually excited, you know? I thought, 'This is going to be good for my brand.' People really get to know who I am, how I actually act, and all these things. ” Because I can say that. People will get annoyed. So you got a little excited, right? But a lot of people don't know that three days before they sent us home, the producers came into my room and said, “Hey, you weren't shortlisted.” I felt heartbroken and all these things were going around in my head. Then 23 hours later they called me and were like, “Oh, you're in the UFC.” So, yes, it's okay now. ”
It's rare enough for a fighter to appear in the UFC once, or even twice. Zalal, 27, did not have his promotion renewed after a draw in August 2022. He then went 3-0 in MMA, 1-0 in boxing, and 1-0 in kickboxing before re-signing.
During his return to the regional scene, Zalal learned three important lessons that he plans to carry with him through his second stint in the UFC.
“This is 100 percent the best thing that ever happened to me. The first thing was, 'Do I really like this sport?' That was the answer I found. Regardless of the money, I really love this sport. That was the number one thing I found out,” Zalal said.
“No. 2, I really saw how everyone acted and how I myself acted. I didn't mean to embarrass myself by fighting. That's how I fought. I wasn't fighting how I fought. I wasn't fighting who I was. I just thought, “Oh, yeah, every loss is a close loss.'' It’s not like someone walked through me. ”It was kind of a whole energy. I had to learn, “Okay, I'm going to fight my style.'' Take all the pressure off your back and go fight. Fight all these. If you have pressure, use it in a good way, not a bad way. ” I learned a lot from that.
“And the third thing is maturity. I learned a lot. I have a lot on my plate right now. Experience is the biggest characteristic, so I'm happy about that. I can't wait until Phase 2. It's going to be amazing. Yo.”
In Zalal's opinion, Quarantillo is the perfect opponent to move the ball again. Quarantillo is in the middle of a crowded 145-pound division, and he believes Zalal has a lot of upside.
“For sure, dude. I think every time Billy has a match, they think, 'Oh, this is going to be Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night.' That’s definitely on my mind,” Zalal said. “It’s going to be either the fight of the night or the performance of the night – 100 percent.”
For more information on this card, visit MMA Junkie's UFC event hub on ESPN 53.
Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and other content with mixed martial arts fans.
