It was an extra-long main card as all but the first fight on the card going the distance. In the main event, an important featherweight scrap, as former UFC bantamweight champion, (#5) Aljamain Sterling out-grappled (#7) Youssef Zalal on his way to a unanimous decision victory. In the co-main event Joselyne Edwards used her constant striking aggression to capture a unanimous decision victory over Norma Dumont.

Four win streaks were snapped on this main card while just two fighters have added to losing streaks.

Youssef Zalal

(#5) Aljamain Sterling put on a clinic in all things grappling and wrestling on Saturday when he smothered (#7) Youssef Zalal over five rounds to log a victory. Bitter defeat for Zalal as this is the first loss of his second UFC stint. Zalal was the owner of a 2-3-1 stretch with the UFC from 2020 to 2022 but that included decision defeats against studs like eventual double champ, Illia Topuria and striking standout, Sean Woodson. Since Zalal’s resigning in 2024, he’s 5-1. Youssef was coming into this fight with a decision win over Calvin Kattar and a first round submission victory against Josh Emmett back in October.

A good next opponent for Zalal would be to give him the loser of Melquizael Costa vs. Arnold Allen. That fight goes down on May 16 so the timing would be just fine.  It’s also a main event so it would make even more sense as a matchup. Allen has lost three of his last four as he has recently had a huge step-up in competition. His last fight was back in late January when he lost a unanimous decision to Jean Silva. Melquizael Costa, on the other hand, is on the ascent. Costa is on a six-fight win streak and has finished his last two opponents, most recently, Dan Ige in late February to earn himself a performance bonus.

Best case scenario for Zalal is he’s facing Costa who has a freshly snapped win streak much like himself. This could be a fight night co-main event or potentially even a main event. Great fighters to build names for.

Zalal’s next fight: (#12) Melquizael Costa vs.  (#8) Arnold Allen loser 

Norma Dumont

(#11) Joselyne Edwards used her muay thai and stayed on the offensive in order to get the victory over (#3) Norma Dumont in the co main event on Saturday. It was a competitive fight, but Dumont suffers a horrific setback suffering her first loss since a split decision in May 2022 (opposite of Macy Chiasson). Dumont is now 9-3 with the promotion. Considering Dumont was originally supposed to take on (#5) Yana Santos before her opponent suffered an injury having to withdrawal, this is a rough defeat.

Norma’s next opponent should be Jacquline Cavalcanti if she loses her fight to Ketlen Vieira. That fight goes down on May 16 so the timing would be fine. The Yana fight would also work fine as a backup as she’s just sitting on the shelf right now. Leaning heavily towards the fight with Cavalcanti though. Dumont was Vieira’s most recent loss, and it was only by split decision. Cavalcanti is 10-1 as a pro and a perfect 5-0 in the UFC.  If she stumbles against Vieira, Dumont could be the perfect next test- especially if it’s a close fight.

Dumont’s next fight: (#10) Jacqueline Cavalcanti or (#5) Yana Santos

Alexander Hernandez

Rafa Garica remained cool and composed for the duration of his bout with Alexander Hernadez, fighting within his game plan to tally a nice unanimous decision victory. Bad outcome for Hernandez- but at least he wasn’t finished. The loss stops Alexander’s 4-fight win streak that saw him defeating multiple TUF veterans before stopping Chase Hooper and Diego Ferreira.

Hernandez should look towards a veteran striker for his next matchup, keep the foot on the gas, but maybe a potentially more manageable matchup. Giving Hernandez the loser of the King Green vs Jeremy Stephens fight could be incredibly interesting. Those guys scrap on May 9th so timing would be perfect. King Green even has a recent unanimous decision victory over Jim Miller, and so does Hernandez. Green is headed into that May matchup with Stephens riding a 2-fight win streak.

Jeremy Stephens hasn’t been in the octagon since last May when he lost a violent fight to Mason Jones. Stephens has been all over the place in recent years, from the PFL, to most recently a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships stint. Either one of these vets could offer an interesting and fresh standup battle with Alexander Hernandez. It could be on the main card of a fight night card or prelim of a PPV card.

Hernandez’s next fight: Bobby Green vs Jeremy Stephens Loser

Adrian Luna Martinetti

Davey Grant battered a relentless Adrian Luna Martinetti at the APEX on Saturday to get the unanimous decision victory. Luna Martinetti never gave up, despite his heavily damaged legs, and for that, this fight received fight of the night honors for UFC Vegas 116. The bout was Adrian’s UFC debut as he is a product of last year’s season of the Contender Series. This was Martinetti’s first MMA loss since his third bout, snapping a 15-fight win streak.

Jafel Filho also lost a unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 116, but he fell on the undercard to Cody Durden. Filho is 3-3 with the UFC since being signed off of the 2022 season of the Contender Series. Jafel was fed to the sharks immediately as he faced an undefeated Muhammad Mokaev in his promotional debut. Filho also has a performance bonus under his belt for his 2024 finish over Ode Osbourne. Pairing these two featherweights up could offer a high action fight for fans. Timing makes it too easy of a fight to make as well.

Martinelli’s next fight: Jafel Filho

Montel Jackson

Raoni Barcelos did enough with his grappling and deep submission attempts to steal a split decision over Montel Jackson Saturday, despite Jackson’s early knockdown. This loss extends Jackson’s losing streak to two though his last loss was also a split decision and opposite of former UFC flyweight champion, Deivision Figueiredo. Before this pair of defeats, the 2018 Contender Series veteran was riding a 6-fight win streak featuring three finishes and two bonuses.

Montel Jackson should fight Ricky Simon next. This would be a banger. Simon has big power in his hands and is fresh off a wild majority draw against Adrian Yanez back in late March. Timing wouldn’t be too bad. Simon headed into that fight having dropped three of his last four. But prior to that was his 5-fight win streak that earned him five bonuses in his first five fights with the promotion. Similar fighters in terms of having had their momentums extinguished. Seems like this would be a great time to book this slick standup battle that would have fans on the edge of their seats. This fight could be a co main event on a fight night card.

Jackson’s next fight: Ricky Simon

Marcus Buchecha

Ryan Spann used his 16 fights of UFC experience to expertly navigate the dangerous grappling attacks of Marcus Buchecha before finishing the fight with a two-punch combo in the second. Marcus, who was once 5-1 with ONE Fighting Championship, is now winless since being picked up by the UFC, last July. With a 0-2-1 record with the promotion, it’s worth noting that the 36-year-old heavyweight was originally supposed to take on Max Gimenis on Saturday before Max broke his foot.

Rebook the fight with Max here. Max lost his debut to Josh Hokit, who at the time, was also making his debut. With all the notoriety Hokit has gained recently, giving Max a fight against a fighter that was a name outside of the promotion makes a lot of sense. Plus, the heavyweight division is shallow, and Marcus could be on the shelf long enough for Max to recover from his injury.

Buchecha’s next fight: Max Gimenis

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Round 1 – Zalal came out pumping the jab like a piston, immediately setting the tone. Sterling looked to manage distance with kicks, but Zalal stayed aggressive, using his striking to close the gap, even if he wasn’t landing anything particularly damaging early.

The two traded control of the center, each taking turns applying pressure. Sterling would step forward and try to crash into range, looking to initiate grappling exchanges, but Zalal’s footwork kept him off the fence and out of danger.

Sterling eventually shot in on a single leg, which Zalal initially defended well. Moments later, however, Sterling timed a sharp leg kick as Zalal threw a body kick, knocking him off balance and creating the opening for a takedown.

From top position, Sterling settled in as Zalal worked to escape, attempting to shrimp out. Zalal then threw up a triangle, but Sterling stayed composed, maintaining posture and defending effectively while absorbing a few hammer fists. Realizing the submission wasn’t there, Zalal abandoned it.

The round closed with Zalal in a turtle position as Sterling controlled from above, landing knees to the body to finish the frame.

Round 2 – Sterling came out far more aggressive in the second round, firing leg kicks and applying heavy pressure on Zalal. He worked behind his jab, looking to set up a takedown, but Zalal defended well and forced the action back to striking.

Zalal answered with a knee up the middle that appeared to at least graze Sterling, prompting the former bantamweight champion to take a few deep breaths. Building on that moment, Zalal surged forward and put Sterling on the back foot, though it proved to be a trap as Sterling drew him into a clinch along the fence. After a brief grappling exchange, they separated and returned to striking.

Sterling then slipped a left hook from Zalal, ducking under to secure a body lock from behind before dragging him to the mat. From there, Sterling quickly took the back and began unloading with strikes.

As Zalal attempted to break the body triangle, he only allowed Sterling to tighten his control. Using a half nelson, Sterling continued to land shots to the head while maintaining dominant position.

The round closed with Sterling firmly on Zalal’s back, landing steady ground-and-pound to cap a strong frame.

Round 3 – Sterling shot in for a double leg and Zalal landed a knee to the chin which didnt hurt Sterling. He stayed in looking for the double leg, lifted Zalal and took him down. Zalal went for a hail mary guillotine which was pretty tight until Sterling went to his back to defend it.

Zalal gladly took top position forcing Sterling to get back to his full guard to defend. Zalal got to his feet and ate a couple up kicks until he dropped down looking to take the back on the ground.

Zalal took the back locking in a body triangle and rode the position the rest of the round.

Round 4 – Sterling wasted no time engaging, quickly closing the distance and taking Zalal’s back with more than four minutes remaining in the round, looking to drag him into deep waters.

His experience in longer fights began to show, as Sterling maintained control from the back and landed a steady stream of strikes to the head. He eventually locked in a rear-naked choke with the arm in, but Zalal managed to survive the submission attempt.

Zalal repeatedly tried to turn and face Sterling, but the former champion stayed one step ahead, shutting down each escape. In the process, Zalal briefly gave up mount with just over a minute to go, a position Sterling capitalized on by landing more ground-and-pound.

Zalal eventually worked back to his feet, but Sterling remained aggressive, attacking with heavy shots up top and knees to the body. The round closed with Zalal pressing Sterling against the fence, looking to stall the action and limit further damage.

Round 5 – Zalal looked to generate offense on the feet, throwing with intent, but the power wasn’t quite there at that stage. Sterling weathered the brief surge before shooting in once again.

Official Result: Aljamain Sterling def. Youssef Zalal via Unanimous Decision (49-45×3)

The post Aljamain Sterling Puts On Grappling Masterclass In Win Over Zalal appeared first on Cageside Press.

On his second stint with the UFC, a much improved Zalal has landed himself in the 145lb’s top 10 thanks to victories over the likes of Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett. “The Moroccan Devil” have won five straight in the UFC, eight straight overall, and could be circling the title picture were he to add a former champ to his resume.

As for Sterling, he’s 2-1 in the featherweight division, sort of. Considering how badly Brian Ortega missed weight for their fight last August, it was almost a lightweight affair. Still, you have to hand it to Sterling for carrying on and getting the job done.

Weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 116 take place Friday morning at 9AM PT, 12PM ET. Full results can be found below.

UFC Vegas 116: Sterling vs. Zalal Weigh-In Results

Main card

Featherweight: Aljamain Sterling (146) vs. Youssef Zalal (145.5)
Women’s Bantamweight: Norma Dumont (135.5) vs. Joselyne Edwards (135.5)
Lightweight: Rafa García (155) vs. Alexander Hernandez (155.5)
Bantamweight: Davey Grant (135.5) vs. Adrián Luna Martinetti (135.5)
Bantamweight: Montel Jackson (135.5) vs. Raoni Barcelos (136)
Heavyweight: Marcus Buchecha (252.5) vs. Ryan Spann (264)

Preliminary card

Middleweight: Rodolfo Vieira (185.5) vs. Eric McConico (186)
Women’s Bantamweight: Mayra Bueno Silva (136) vs. Michelle Montague (135.5)
Middleweight: Jackson McVey (185) vs. Sedriques Dumas (184)
Bantamweight: Jafel Filho (135.5) vs. Cody Durden (135.5)
Lightweight: Francis Marshall (155.5) vs. Lucas Brennan (155.5)
Welterweight: Max Griffin (170.5) vs. Victor Valenzuela (170)
Women’s Strawweight: Talita Alencar (116) vs. Julia Polastri (115.5)

The post UFC Vegas 116: Sterling vs. Zalal Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

“It’s not easy. I had to do it with Brian Ortega, and that was a little weird one for me,” Sterling told reporters on Wednesday.

“Even when I had him hurt with the right hand in round 2 I kind of pulled back. He said I poked him in the eye and I said dude that was a punch man. I took my foot off the gas because I like the guy. I like Youssef too, but if I get him hurt I don’t plan to make that mistake again and just go out there and get the finish. I’m trying to make history, trying to win a second belt, trying to fight the legend the OG in (Alexander) Volkanovski.”

Sterling (25-5) pointed to the differences in experience and mindset between himself and Zalal when breaking down the matchup. Confident in the path he’s taken to reach the top of the sport, he made it clear he believes that edge will be a deciding factor on fight night.

“Youssef is good, but sh*t man I’ve been doing this for a very long time. I didn’t have to get cut and make my way back. He did, he had to dig deep to do that, and I think it’s two different type of mental attitudes, right? He could have went to the regional circuit, maybe lost and packed it up, but he decided to come back,” he said.

“I’ve been knocked down, been knocked out, built myself back up and here I am today. I’ve become a world champion at the bantamweight division. I got the most wins in bantamweight history. I didn’t get here by accident. This is no cakewalk for Youssef Zalal and if he thinks it’s going to be easy, he’s got a rude awakening coming this Saturday. I’ve got to break him, simple as that.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Aljamain Sterling above. He headlines UFC Vegas 116 opposite Youssef Zalal on Saturday night.

The post Aljamain Sterling Targets Featherweight Gold, Vows No Hesitation Against Zalal appeared first on Cageside Press.

“I can’t wait to go out there and thrive on this opportunity and perform,” the featherweight contender said during Wednesday’s media day promoting the event.

Stirling is the biggest step up to date for Zalal, who has looked stellar on his second stint with the UFC. And he’s worked his way up without the sort of politics and gamesmanship that has become the norm in the fight game.

“I’ve never turned down a fight, I’ve never picked a fight. I’m just like ‘hey.’ The only fight they gave me, to be honest, is the Josh Emmett fight. I asked for Josh Emmett, they gave me Josh Emmett. I asked for Lerone Murphy for the longest, I never got that one. So maybe that one is in the future.”

As far as what he expects from “Aljo,” “I really do believe this fight, I don’t see it going give rounds,” Zalal predicted. “The Moroccan Devil” feels both himself and Stirling bring an “awkward style” to the octagon, “a weird style, especially with his striking, and obviously we all know his grappling as well.”

Zalal is now curious to see how Stirling deals with someone attacking on the grappling front.

Looking back at his younger self in his first UFC run, Zalal feels that patience and purpose has been the difference this time around.

“I feel like the patience, and all that stuff, just to experience that. I feel like young and dumb turns into you being an idiot,” admitted Zalal. “I never had a problem putting hard work in, I never had a problem with being confident. I think the biggest thing we said is purpose. I think once you find purpose in this life, life becomes a lot simpler. Not, I don’t want to say easier, but simpler.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 116 media day appearance by Yousself Zalal above.

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Promotion officials announced it on Thursday. With the welterweight bout moved, featherweights Aljamain Stirling (25-5) and Youssef Zalal (18-5-1) will face off in a five-round main event at the Meta Apex on April 25, 2026.

The news comes among a host of UFC fight announcements, with the promotion opening the floodgates after last week’s lukewarm reception to “Freedom 250” at the White House in June.

Stirling, a former bantamweight champion, will be fighting for the first time since August, when he earned a unanimous decision against ex-title challenger Brian Ortega. That puts “Aljo” (or “The Funkmaster,” if you prefer) at 2-1 since dropping to featherweight in 2024. The Serra-Longo Fight Team member fought at 145lbs at one point in his pre-UFC career.

Zalal, known as “The Moroccan Devil,” has quietly amassed a stellar win streak. Now on his second stint with the company, Zalal is riding an eight-fight win streak overall, with five of those victories coming under the UFC banner. That includes wins over Billy Quarantillo, Calvin Kattar, and most recently, a submission of Josh Emmett.

Stirling is ranked #5, Zalal #7 in the UFC’s official featherweight rankings currently.

UFC Vegas 116 on April 25, 2026 currently features the following match-ups:

• Aljamain Sterling vs. Youssef Zalal
• Davey Grant vs. Juan Adrián Luna Martinetti
• Norma Dumont vs. Joselyne Edwards
• Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Michelle Montague
• Jafel Filho vs. Lucas Rocha
• Rodolfo Vieira vs. Eric McConico
• Sedriques Dumas vs. Jackson McVey
• Raoni Barcelos vs. Montel Jackson
• Max Gimenis vs. Allen Frye

The post UFC Vegas 116 Gets New Main Event in Stirling vs. Zalal appeared first on Cageside Press.

UFC 320 was the type of exciting night that reminded us why we come together to watch people fistfight on Saturdays. Now, a look at what comes next for the main card winners.

Alex Pereira

Usually, when fighters say they were sick or injured to justify a bad performance, it just sounds like excuses to try and save face. But when you then follow those comments by bulldozing through your opponent in the rematch, it’s impossible not to believe you. And that’s what “Poatan” did. He said he was just 40% in the first fight against Magomed Ankalaev and how you can you not believe him after he just needed a minute and twenty seconds to blast through him in the rematch?

A trilogy is completely off the table as Ankalaev, who already wasn’t the UFC’s favourite fighter, now needs to earn back the respect it took years for him to accrue. Carlos Ulberg is definitely owed a title shot, but I don’t think that shot will come against Pereira. The Brazilian superstar has been very vocal about his interest in a move up to heavyweight. There have been talks in recent years about the promotion’s lack of stars, but Pereira has been the exception to that narrative for quite some time now. He emphatically regained the hype he lost in March by delivering yet another spectacular, memorable highlight. He has 100% earned the right to become the promotion’s first ever three-division champion. From Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev to Zhang Weili, the UFC has been forcing their champions to vacate their belt if they wish to chase another one. Pereira clearly wanted his belt back, but I don’t think he’d refuse to let it go if it meant a shot at the heavyweight crown. Yes, Carlos Ulberg is a fresh face, but Pereira is 6-0 against his division’s top 6 contenders. There is no doubt that the most interesting thing he can do is fight for a chance at true immortality, and that won’t happen at 205 pounds (Pereira did have a callout for Jon Jones, but pulled it back in light of Jones brother Arthur passing away last week).

Pereira’s next fight: Aspinall/Gane winner

Merab Dvalishvili

What can you say about “The Machine” that hasn’t already been said? He wasn’t everyone’s favourite fighter, and probably still isn’t, but what used to be disdain from the sport’s fanbase has turned into admiration for his resumé. He’s now 6-0 against his division’s top 10 and 5-0 against the top 4. Remarkable.

He did just go 25 full minutes with a very game Cory Sandhagen that touched him up in certain spots, but no champion has ever defended their titles four times in a calendar year. Just like Pereira has earned the right to go for a third title, Merab has earned the right to make history as well. If he wants to fight in December, the UFC needs to afford him that opportunity. His most interesting stylistic matchup is still Umar Nurmagomedov, but that man has business to settle with Mario Bautista later this month. The first fight wasn’t very competitive, but Petr Yan has fought his way back to a title shot. The man has won three consecutive bouts, and the timing works out for December. Let’s not overthink this: book it.

Dvalishvili’s next fight: Petr Yan

Jiri Prochazka

In a sport that attracts a lot of strange and unique characters, Jiri Prochazka stands out as the epitome of being “one of one”. There simply is no one quite like him. He’s like if Dricus Du Plessis’ unorthodox habits merged with Justin Gaethje’s appetite for violence and chaos. He’s the type of fighter you show your friends if you want them to get into this sport. You could watch MMA until the day you die and not find another Jiri Prochazka.

It’s no wonder the promotion will keep looking to put him in big spots. Unfortunately for Jiri, Alex Pereira winning in the main event makes his path muddier. Max Holloway was given a third crack at Alexander Volkanovski because of the competitiveness of their second fight. That is something that cannot be said for Prochazka, as he got iced faster and in even more brutal fashion in his rematch with Pereira than in their first fight. However, if Pereira actually does vacate his belt to go hunt for a third title like I believe he will, that opens things up for the Czech fighter. In that scenario, Prochazka vs Carlos Ulberg books itself for the vacant title.

Prochazka’s next fight: Title shot

Youssef Zalal

“The Moroccan Devil” just needed a minute and thirty-eight seconds to dispatch of top 10 staple Josh Emmett. Yes, Emmett is 40 years old, but Zalal treated him like some unknown regional fighter. The Moroccan came back into the UFC last year and made a splash, going 3-0 with three submissions, but a pedestrian performance against a declining Calvin Kattar in February put a sour taste in the fans’ mouths. What better way to restore the excitement than a quick finish like this one?

Even with Lerone Murphy likely being the next challenger and Brian Ortega hinting at a move up to lightweight, Zalal definitely isn’t lacking in options at featherweight, but I just prefer other matchups than the ones at our disposal right now. I believe Movsar Evloev should fight for the title next, but if he doesn’t, a rematch with Diego Lopes would be awesome. Yair Rodriguez is an option, but I like him and Arnold Allen fighting each other. Aljamain Sterling is on the table, but I prefer Aljo vs Patricio Pitbull. While any of the aforementioned fighters would be fine opponents for Zalal, there is one name that would clearly take the lead should he win his next fight. Steve “Mean Machine” Garcia is facing Zalal’s own teammate, David Onama, next month in a main event. If Garcia defeats Zalal’s teammate to win his seventh straight contest, there is no doubt that Zalal will try to avenge that loss for Onama.

Zalal’s next fight: Steve Garcia (if victorious vs David Onama)

Joe Pyfer

Joe Pyfer came into the promotion with quite a bit of hype. The UFC is clearly very invested in him, but his failure against Jack Hermansson is still too recent to really forget about it. Nevertheless, three consecutive victories since then have at least earned him a shot at redemption. To truly test whether Pyfer has learned from his mistakes or not, you need to give him another Hermansson-type test. I think the closest thing the UFC has to that in the middleweight division, currently, is someone like Roman Dolidze. The Georgian fighter had strung together a couple of wins, but coming off that bad loss to Anthony Hernandez, he needs to fight backwards in order to keep his spot in the top 15. Why not defend it against someone like Joe Pyfer?

Pyfer’s next fight: Roman Dolidze

The post What’s Next: UFC 320 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

The featherweight was looking to put the memory of a tepid third round against Calvin Kattar out of his mind, and did just that. While he’d won the Kattar fight via decision, there was plenty of criticism for his lack of engagement. Including criticism from Zalal himself.

“I go hard on myself, I really do, and you can ask anybody, all these coaches, man,” Zalal (18-5-1) told media outlets including Cageside Press following the bout. “I set a standard that’s crazy-high, I really go out there, and that third round really haunted me.”

Zalal went on to say that he apologized after the third round of the Kattar fight, and took that experience into his fight with Josh Emmett. Where, of course, no third round, or even second, was needed.

“I have such a high IQ, I know what I bring into this game. And I can’t wait to keep improving and keep bringing it on,” Zalal added.

UFC 320 marked the first time the 29-year old’s mother had seen him fight. It turned out to be an emotional affair. Admitting he might be a mamma’s body, Zalal recalled that “I thought I was not going to see them, and then the first f*cking thing I see is them, and my dad. My dad’s loud as hell, just like me. I saw him, and I teared up. That was her first fight, first ever fight she’s ever watched me. I think she blew my ear drum screaming. This is for her, man. I can’t wait to take care of her.”

Youssef Zalal also revealed that he had predicted a flawless victory for the fight. Key word, “flawless.”

“My word for this fight— I take a word for every fight, and this word was ‘flawless.’ You can ask anybody that I told them that. What an amazing day.”

Watch the full UFC 320 post-fight press conference with Youssef Zalal above.

The post Youssef Zalal Predicted UFC 320 Performance Would Be Flawless appeared first on Cageside Press.

Emmett, 40, was still holding out hopes for a late-career title shot, while Zalal, the much younger fighter, wanted to burst into the top of the weight class.

Zalal stayed outside, looking light on his feet to start the fight. It wasn’t long before the affair hit the mat, with Zalal changing levels and exploding into a takedown. Emmett found himself trapped, unable to escape with Zalal working on a triangle, then an arm-bar. Emmett tried to stack Zalal up, but couldn’t, and all of a sudden, Emmett gave the verbal tap. A huge, huge win for Youssef Zalal, who has won five straight since returning to the UFC in early 2024.

Ranked #9 coming into the fight, Zalal isn’t likely to jump too far up the 145lb rankings given Emmett was only one spot ahead of him. Still, it’s the sort of statement victory “The Moroccan Devil” needed after a lackluster decision victory over Calvin Kattar in his last outing — something Zalal mentioned in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

“I’m too smart for these guys. I’m way too smart. I move too good, I setup things too good,” added Zalal, who called out Lerone Murphy.

Official Result: Youssef Zalal def. Josh Emmett by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:38

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Zalal (17-5-1) described how his next matchup quickly took shape once he came back from a month overseas. He explained how shifting pieces in the featherweight division narrowed his options.

“The crazy part is, after my fight with (Calvin) Kattar, I literally went to Morocco for a month and then came back. I was kind of scoping around to see who we’re going to fight,” Zalal told reporters including Cageside Press on Wednesday.

“The whole division was messed up because of all the things that happened with Ilia (Topuria) moving up and all that. I was like okay who’s the only guy that was open? The only guy that was open was Josh Emmett.”

Zalal didn’t hold back when asked about his place in the featherweight title picture ahead of UFC 320. The Moroccan standout made it clear he’s felt overlooked by the division’s biggest names, including the champion himself.

“I’ve feel like I’ve just been disrespected the last few months. Specially the champ (Alexander Volkanovski). Champ did an interview saying, oh there’s a lot of potential guys, there’s Aljamain (Sterling), Diego (Lopes) Movsar (Evloev), and all these guys and never brought up my name,” he said.

“I was like alright. So it’s time for me to put some respect in this name.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Youssef Zalal above. He takes on Josh Emmett at UFC 320 on Saturday night.

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