Morocco’s Youssef Zalal is eyeing a rematch with UFC Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, decided to rewrite the story of their first encounter.
Youssef Zalal Desires Ilia Topuria Rematch
Youssef Zalal first confronted Topuria on October 11, 2020, and misplaced the battle by unanimous resolution in a hard-fought three rounds. Topuria’s grappling was dominant, and the victory helped the Georgian-Spanish fighter climb the ranks to ultimately safe the UFC Featherweight Championship in February 2024.
Reflecting on the potential future battle towards Ilia Topuria, Zalal mentioned, “Oh, bro, why not? It’s an entire story, bro. Like, the storyline is correct there. You speak about promotion—that’s like a giant promotion proper there. It’s such as you fought the man in his UFC debut. He’s your solely resolution, and also you’re each developing. He obtained kicked out and got here again, so there’s an entire story behind this. So, 100%.”
Zalal’s journey to this potential rematch has been marked by perseverance. After a short stint exterior the UFC, as a consequence of struggling contained in the group, he returned stronger. In his second UFC run, he earned Efficiency of the Night time bonuses and captured the eye of followers and analysts. The loss to Topuria stays a motivating think about Zalal’s profession.
As for Topuria, the undefeated fighter has seen his unimaginable rise within the sport. For Zalal, the chance to face Topuria once more represents an opportunity to settle unfinished enterprise and show how far he’s come since their preliminary assembly. Youssef Zalal is at present on a formidable six-fight win streak and simply submitted Jack Shore within the UFC.
