Youssef Zalal
“The Moroccan Devil”
Professional record
Last 5: LWWWW
Profile
- Age
- 30 (born September 4, 1996)
- Born in
- Casablanca
- Height
- 5' 10"
- Weight
- 145 lbs.
- Reach
- 72"
- Stance
- Switch
- UFC record
- 8-4-1
How the fights ended
Wins in the UFC8
- Submission 4
- Decision 4
Losses in the UFC4
- Decision 4
UFC career stats
Striking
- Significant strikes landed per minute
- 2.78 top 76%
- Significant strikes absorbed per minute
- 1.79
Grappling
- Takedowns per 15 minutes
- 1.84 top 31%
- Submission attempts per 15 minutes
- 1.3
Next fight
In the record book
About Youssef Zalal
Youssef Zalal "The Moroccan Devil", born in Casablanca on September 4, 1996, is a featherweight mixed martial artist. Zalal is 5' 10" tall with a 72" reach and fights out of a switch stance. The official UFC rankings have Zalal at #8 in the featherweight division.
Zalal has fought professionally since 2017, debuting with Sparta Combat League. A 7-2 record outside the UFC came first. Zalal first fought in the UFC at UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes in February 2020 and beat Austin Lingo by decision. Zalal's UFC record stands at 8-4-1 after 13 fights.
Zalal is dangerous on the ground, with 4 UFC wins by submission, most often by rear-naked choke. Statistically, Zalal avoids strikes better than 92% of featherweights and attempts more submissions than 86% of featherweights.
Every one of Zalal's UFC losses has gone to the judges; no opponent has finished Zalal in the UFC. After 19 months away, Zalal returned at UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas in March 2024 and beat Billy Quarantillo. Zalal was 23 when the first UFC win came, against Austin Lingo. Before and outside the UFC, Zalal fought in LFA (4-2) and Sparta Combat League (4-0).
Most recently, Zalal lost to Aljamain Sterling by decision at UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal in April 2026.
UFC fight history
-
L
Decision - Unanimous · R5 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal
Apr 25, 2026
35Str 0TD 0KD -
W
Submission · Armbar From Back Control · R1 1:38
UFC 320: Ankalaev vs. Pereira 2
Oct 4, 2025
0Str 1TD 0KD -
W
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Rodrigues
Feb 15, 2025
74Str 0TD 0KD -
W
Submission · Arm Triangle From Half Guard · R2 0:59
UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Albazi
Nov 2, 2024
13Str 1TD 1KD -
W
Submission · Rear Naked Choke · R1 3:52
UFC Fight Night: Tybura vs. Spivac 2
Aug 10, 2024
10Str 1TD 0KD -
W
Submission · Rear Naked Choke · R2 1:50
UFC Fight Night: Ribas vs. Namajunas
Mar 23, 2024
33Str 2TD 0KD -
D
Decision - Majority · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Vera vs. Cruz
Aug 13, 2022
63Str 1TD 0KD -
L
Decision - Split · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai
Jun 5, 2021
42Str 2TD 0KD -
L
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov
Feb 6, 2021
23Str 3TD 0KD -
L
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen
Oct 10, 2020
17Str 0TD 0KD -
W
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik
Aug 8, 2020
54Str 3TD 1KD -
W
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker
Jun 27, 2020
59Str 0TD 0KD -
W
Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00
Feb 8, 2020
31Str 6TD 0KD
Full MMA career
Youssef Zalal is 18-6-1 across 25 professional fights in 5 promotions, since a pro debut on August 19, 2017 (Sparta Combat League). 12 of those fights were outside the UFC.
Pro wins18
- KO/TKO 4
- Submission 10
- Decision 4
Pro losses6
- Decision 6
- Finish rate
- 78% of wins
- Longest win streak
- 8
Fights by promotion
| Promotion | Record | First fight |
|---|---|---|
| UFC | 8-4-1 | 2020 |
| LFA | 4-2 | 2017 |
| Sparta Combat League | 4-0 | 2017 |
| Mile High MMAyhem | 1-0 | 2017 |
| Paramount MMA | 1-0 | 2018 |
All professional fights
| Result | Opponent | Date |
|---|---|---|
| L | Aljamain Sterling | Apr 25, 2026 |
| W | Josh Emmett | Oct 4, 2025 |
| W | Calvin Kattar | Feb 15, 2025 |
| W | Jack Shore | Nov 2, 2024 |
| W | Jarno Errens | Aug 10, 2024 |
| W | Billy Quarantillo | Mar 23, 2024 |
| W | Vadim Zadnipryanyi | Aug 19, 2023 |
| W | Jake Childers | Jan 20, 2023 |
| W | Edwin Chavez | Nov 18, 2022 |
| D | Da'Mon Blackshear | Aug 13, 2022 |
| L | Sean Woodson | Jun 5, 2021 |
| L | Choi Seung-woo | Feb 6, 2021 |
| L | Ilia Topuria | Oct 10, 2020 |
| W | Peter Barrett | Aug 8, 2020 |
| W | Jordan Griffin | Jun 27, 2020 |
| W | Austin Lingo | Feb 8, 2020 |
| W | Jaime Hernandez | Nov 22, 2019 |
| L | Matt Jones | May 3, 2019 |
| L | Jose Mariscal | Jan 18, 2019 |
| W | Steven Merrill | Dec 7, 2018 |
| W | Daniel Soto | May 4, 2018 |
| W | Joey Banks | Mar 16, 2018 |
| W | Clay Wimer | Oct 27, 2017 |
| W | Maurice Salazar | Sep 8, 2017 |
| W | Michael Santos | Aug 19, 2017 |
Full professional record from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Quick answers
What is Youssef Zalal's record?
Youssef Zalal's professional MMA record is 18 wins, 6 losses and 1 draws.
How old is Youssef Zalal?
Youssef Zalal is 30 years old, born on September 4, 1996.
How tall is Youssef Zalal and what is their reach?
Youssef Zalal stands 5' 10" with a 72" reach.
Who did Youssef Zalal fight last?
Youssef Zalal lost to Aljamain Sterling by Decision - Unanimous at UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal on Apr 25, 2026.