UFC featherweight Youssef Zalal believes he’s showing a much improved version of himself in his second run with the UFC following his victory over Jack Shore at UFC Edmonton on Saturday night.
“I felt like he thought I’m still the same how as I was in the old first run of the UFC,” Zalal told reporters including Cageside Press at his post-fight scrum.
“This version will kill the Youssef 1.0.”
Zalal (16-5-1) went 3-3-1 in his first run in the UFC including at decision loss to current UFC featherweight champ Ilia Topuria. In his second stint with the promotion he’s come out firing with a three-fight win streak.
“This is what I expected. This is the pressure I put on myself. I feel like before I’m like oh I just want to win. Winning is cool, but performing is better. This is the difference between you being good and you being an elite,” he said.
“They only talk about you when you (get) finishes.”
The goal now for Zalal is continuing the win streak, but also see his face on a poster in 2025.
“Man I’ve been calling all these guys. I called (Edson) Barboza, I called Alex Caceres, I called all those guys. My goal is headline a card in 2025. I’m on the path of doing that,” he said.
The difference between Zalal 1.0 and this new version?
“How can I keep this clear? I’m not a dumbass anymore to be honest,” he told Cageside Press.
“What I meant to do to really slow things down and really focus. Everything is with purpose. My word this year was precision and I feel like I’ve been very precise about my things.”
Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Youssef Zalal above.
