Youssef Zalal Didn't Know What MMA Was When He Arrived in the U.S., Now He's a Top Prospect
It's hard to believe that just a few years ago Youssef Zalal didn't even know what mixed martial arts was much less how to do it.
Growing up in Morocco, Zalal was a student of martial arts at an early age but not in the way that he was put into a karate or taekwondo class as a child. Instead, Zalal joined a kickboxing class because his mother was trying to keep him out of trouble with many kids from his neighborhood ending up dead or in jail at a very young age.
At 11, Zalal had been doing kickboxing for about a year and he was put into his first match but it's not exactly what you might picture when thinking of a child getting involved in combat sports.
"In Morocco, all they do is protect the legs. You're going to have shin guards, that's about it," Zalal described when speaking to MMAWeekly. "No head gear, no nothing. It's basically a square mat, your coaches are sitting in the corner. It's not a ring or nothing. Back in Morocco, they didn't have that back then.
"There's a referee in the middle and you just go at it. Gloves and shin guards. Nothing else."
That's a hardcore introduction to the sport for a kid not even old enough to see over a steering wheel in a car but Zalal fell in love with kickboxing right away.
Unfortunately his kickboxing journey came to an abrupt halt after his father decided to relocate to the United States, which took Zalal away from home and at 14 years of age, he was in a new country where he knew virtually no one with no ability to speak English.
The next six months saw Zalal just focus on learning the language so he could communicate and another six months passed as he was started to get acclimated to his new life in the United States.
"It was a culture shock," Zalal said.
Finally after a year living in the U.S., Zalal finally decided to look into reigniting his passion for martial arts and that's when he discovered a gym right next door to the apartment complex where he lived with his father.
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The gym was an American Top Team affiliate run by current WWE superstar Bobby Lashley but the day that Zalal walked through the doors, he had no idea what he was about to experience.
According to the 22-year old prospect, not only did he not understand the concept of mixed martial arts — he had never even heard of the sport.
"I didn't know a single thing about MMA," Zalal said. "I started my career in kickboxing and I thought that was going to be my career. As soon as I came here, my family thought cage fighting was fighting until somebody died. We didn't know what MMA was until I came here."
Call it a trial by fire but once Zalal started hitting the mats, he fell in love with MMA but really still just considered it a fun activity even when he started competing as an amateur. When time came to finally turn pro, Zalal started to realize that he could transform MMA from a hobby into a career and while his parents weren't exactly excited about his new occupation, they still supported him every step of the way.
"My dad is that guy. He wanted me to go to college but when he watches me, he's my biggest supporter," Zalal said. "He screams and he's watching everything. He still doesn't like it but he knows this is my dream and this is what I want to do. My mom is in Morocco and she calls me everyday and she'll call me after every fight. She doesn't want to watch the fight but she wants to make sure I'm OK afterwards."
Zalal is now competing as a featherweight with a 5-0 record with every fight ending by way of knockout or submission including a pair of victories in Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), an organization that notoriously sends a lot of fighters to the UFC.
Zalal is also training under head coach Marc Montoya and his crew at Factory X in Denver where he's working with a laundry list of top talent including numerous UFC fighters such as Ian Heinisch, Maycee Barber and top ranked light heavyweight contender Anthony Smith.
"I feel like I'm in the top of the top of the regional level," Zalal said. "It takes a lot of balls to say that but I'll back it up every time. I train with the best guys in the world. The best guys in the world. I fought at LFA twice. I took a fight on two hours notice and I finished the kid. I learn everyday with mixed martial arts.
"It's a blessing in my life. I never knew that I could be here and what would be ahead of me. Until I came here it opened my eyes and I realized it could be achieved."
Time is running short in 2018 but Zalal says he hopes to get in one more fight this year and will absolutely stay ready if the UFC comes calling for a short notice opportunity.
"I'm definitely again before the end of the year, that's going to happen," Zalal said. "I'm ready for anything to be honest. UFC, whatever, I'm ready. I know my opportunity will come."
