Youssef Zalal

Overview

Four UFC submission wins, zero knockouts, and every one of his four losses went to the scorecards. Youssef Zalal, the Casablanca-born featherweight known as "The Moroccan Devil," is 8-4-1 in the UFC (18-6-1 across all promotions), and he has never been finished inside the Octagon.

He fights out of Factory X, stands in a switch stance and made his debut in February 2020. He arrives at his next fight on a one-fight losing streak after a five-round main event against Aljamain Sterling.

UFC Career

The first act was split. Zalal opened 3-0 in 2020 with three straight unanimous decisions over Austin Lingo, Jordan Griffin and Peter Barrett, then dropped three in a row: a unanimous decision to Ilia Topuria, a unanimous decision to SeungWoo Choi and a split decision to Sean Woodson. His next appearance, in August 2022, was a majority draw with Da'Mon Blackshear.

Then came a gap of more than a year and a half, and a different record. Starting in March 2024, he won five straight, his longest streak. Four of the five were submissions: Billy Quarantillo in the second round at 1:50, Jarno Errens in the first at 3:52, Jack Shore in the second at 0:59 and Josh Emmett in the first at 1:38. The fifth was a unanimous decision over Calvin Kattar. Quarantillo is rated "strong" by our model, so the run started against real opposition.

Every one of those submissions came inside two rounds. Before 2024, he had none.

The streak ended in April 2026, when he headlined a five-round fight against Aljamain Sterling and lost a unanimous decision. Sterling is one of the elite opponents in our model's tiers, and Zalal went the full 25 minutes with him.

Eight wins, four of them finishes, and none of the finishes came before 2024.

Fighting Style

Youssef Zalal is a low-output striker who is very hard to hit. He lands less than most UFC fighters, but he takes far less in return, and what he throws tends to find its mark. His defense is a real strength.

He pairs that with a steady grappling game. He shoots for takedowns and stops them at a better-than-average rate, and he hunts for submissions far more than most fighters do.

The finishing pattern backs it up. All four of his UFC finishes are submissions, two in round one and two in round two.

When the submission doesn't come, fights tend to go the distance. All four of his UFC losses and the draw ended in decisions, and so did four of his wins.

Notable Wins

• Josh Emmett — submission, round 1 at 1:38, UFC 320 (2025)
• Billy Quarantillo — submission, round 2 at 1:50, UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas (2024)
• Jack Shore — submission, round 2 at 0:59, UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs Albazi (2024)
• Calvin Kattar — unanimous decision, round 3, UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Rodrigues (2025)

Quick Facts

• Division: Featherweight
• UFC record: 8-4-1
• Professional record (all promotions): 18-6-1
• UFC debut: February 2020
• Stance: Switch
• Reach: 72"
• Team: Factory X
• Born: Casablanca, Morocco