One of the most inspiring stories in the sport today continued on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
There are numerous notable examples of fighters going on to achieve great things after battling through difficult moments in their careers.
This was a big talking point heading into Dominick Reyes’ recent fight where a loss to Carlos Ulberg ended his surge back into title contention after a run of devastating losses.
Merab Dvalishvili, who defeated Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, is another example of this, having lost his first two bouts inside the Octagon before putting together one of the sport’s best win streaks.
However, there is another fighter who shared the card with the likes of ‘The Machine’ on October 4 who might not be receiving the shine that he deserves.
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Youssef Zalal has gone from being cut from the roster to a legitimate featherweight contender in just over 3 years
At UFC 320, Youssef Zalal made quick work of Josh Emmett by submitting the former interim title challenger with an armbar in less than two minutes.
One of the main narratives heading into this fight was the fact that both Zalal and Emmett have previously faced Ilia Topuria, but this hasn’t defined the rising contender’s career.
‘The Moroccan Devil’ was ranked as the UFC’s #7 newcomer of the year in 2020 after putting together three consecutive wins, before his first year in the promotion ended with his fight against Topuria.
After losing a unanimous decision to ‘El Matador’, Zalal’s downturn continued, as he went winless in his next three bouts.
Losing two more decisions and fighting to a draw with Da’Mon Blackshear in August of 2022 led to the featherweight fighter being cut from the roster that same month.
Zalal went away, won three fights in Sparta Combat League, and accepted a short notice replacement fight in the UFC in March of 2024.
Since returning to the Octagon less than two years ago, he has produced five consecutive wins, with four of them being submission finishes in the first or second round to earn a top 10 ranking.
| Youssef Zalal’s recent UFC opponents | Event | Result |
| Josh Emmett | UFC 320 – October 4, 2025 | Zalal via submission – Armbar in Round 1 |
| Calvin Kattar | UFC Vegas 102 – February 15, 2025 | Zalal via unanimous decision |
| Jack Shore | UFC Edmonton – November 2, 2024 | Zalal via submission – Arm-triangle choke in Round 2 |
| Jarno Errens | UFC Vegas 95 – August 10, 2024 | Zalal via submission – Rear-naked choke in Round 1 |
| Billy Quarantillo | UFC Vegas 89 – March 23, 2024 | Zalal via submission – Rear-naked choke in Round 2 |
It isn’t just that he’s rebounded from a tough run of form with the best streak of his career, which we have seen a whole list of fighters do over the years.
Zalal has remarkably gone from being cut from the roster to a contender in the title picture at 145 pounds in just over three years.
Brandon Moreno, who became a UFC champion after being cut, has a similar story, though his is somewhat different due to the landscape of the flyweight division at the time.
Youssef Zalal’s win certainly caught Dana White’s eye even if he didn’t receive a bonus
Youssef Zalal’s fight with Josh Emmett wasn’t one of the matchups that was really gathering attention ahead of UFC 320.
Even after his best win to date, ‘The Moroccan Devil’ didn’t receive a $50,000 bonus, though Dana White did speak highly of him in the post-fight press conference.
“Yeah I know, we talked about him,” White responded when asked about Zalal’s performance. “It sucks that he didn’t get any money, but he looked great. We’ll send him something. It won’t be 50 but we’ll give him something.”
After beating the #8-ranked contender in stylish fashion, Youssef Zalal could legitimately be one more win away from earning a featherweight title shot.
His next fight should finally see him earn the praise and spotlight that his remarkable comeback deserves.