Youssef Zalal to headline UFC event for first time this weekend

Youssef Zalal will headline a UFC card for the first time in his career this weekend. The Moroccan fighter debuted in the UFC in 2020 with three consecutive wins before suffering three losses and a draw. After leaving for the American promotion Sparta, where he won three first-round finishes, Zalal returned to the UFC in 2024. He has since won three submission victories and defeated ranked opponents Calvin Kattar by decision and Josh Emmett by first-round armbar. Now ranked seventh at featherweight, the 29-year-old Zalal sits just behind Jian Silva and could enter the top five with a victory over Sterling.