Youssef Zalal ready for title talks after quick submission of Josh Emmett
UFC 320 winner Youssef Zalal spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters post-fight after his first-round submission of Josh Emmett
LAS VEGAS – Youssef Zalal wants a title eliminator bout, and he thinks that should come against top contender Lerone Murphy.
Zalal (18-5-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC), a rising featherweight contender, got himself a lot closer to UFC gold after his quick submission win over veteran Josh Emmett (19-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) this past Saturday on the main card of UFC 320. Now on an eight-fight winning streak, “The Moroccan Devil” is looking to get his hands on Murphy, who currently seems to be in contention alongside Diego Lopes for the next shot at champion Alexander Volkanovski.
Zalal expects the next title shot to go to Lopes, which is why he’s focusing on the Englishman.
“Shout out to Diego Lopes, he looked amazing his last fight. Give that man a title shot, but give me Lerone Murphy,” Zalal in his in-cage interview with Joe Rogan at UFC 320. “Give me that guy next, I’ll get him next at any time.”
Both Murphy and Lopes are coming off impressive knockout wins in September. Neither guy has been booked to fight again, and it’s uncertain who will get the next shot at the belt. There’s been no official word from the UFC.
Zalal feels that’s going to be Lopes, but he’s down to take on whoever doesn’t get the next shot at gold.
“For sure, but like I said, I think Lerone still has a lot of things,” Zalal said at the UFC 320 post-fight press conference. “I just beat the guy that he went five rounds with, and Diego looked fantastic in his last fight, and I don’t want to stress out my manager even more.
“We can do that at the top when we both fight for the belt, so let him fight that right now and give me Lerone, and the winner fights for the belt. That would be an amazing opportunity, but the end of the day, that doesn’t really matter. My goal is to be a world champion and I will be a world champion, and whoever they give me, it is what it is.”
