Youssef Zalal sees ‘drawback’ Ilia Topuria beating Max Holloway

Youssef Zalal is aware of how good UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is.

Zalal (14-5-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) welcomed Topuria (15-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) to the UFC in October 2020, when his authentic opponent Seung Woo Choi was pressured to withdraw. Zalal was in a position to take Topuria the gap, however was in the end outgrappled in a unanimous determination loss. The setback snapped his four-fight successful streak.

Nevertheless, Zalal’s loss aged properly. Topuria went onto notch 5 straight wins earlier than knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 to say the featherweight title. Topuria is predicted to make his first title protection in opposition to Max Holloway (26-7 MMA, 22-7 UFC), who’s confidence is sky excessive after an iconic knockout of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300.

Regardless of Holloway’s momentum, Zalal sees Topuria retaining his title.

“I simply acquired requested this yesterday. I like Max Holloway and I feel they stated Max Holloway vs. Ilia – I feel Ilia’s going to be an issue,” Zalal informed MMA Junkie Radio. “I see him being nonetheless the champ subsequent 12 months, one hundred pc.”

Zalal’s loss to Topuria was adopted by two extra losses then a majority draw, which result in his UFC departure. Nevertheless three-straight finishes on the regional scene acquired him the decision again to the octagon. He submitted Billy Quarantillo in March, and is now booked to face Jarno Errens Aug. 10 at UFC Combat Night time 242.

So what clicked for 27-year-old Zalal in his profession turnaround?

“Plenty of issues, however principally is the expertise and doing what I like,” Zalal stated. “I really feel like typically we go into life and we don’t recognize the issues that we do, and I’m very unhealthy at that typically. I really feel like I’m not affected person. I need the whole lot. I wish to do that, I wish to do this. That’s why in my early UFC profession, I used to be preventing on a regular basis, nonstop.

“For me, there was no persistence. Taking dangers that you simply’re not even – like why do you even must take that danger? Clearly, it’s who I’m, simply actually specializing in having fun with life and actually being within the second and experiencing that journey. That’s the one factor that clicked for me and adjusted is I do know what I like to do, and I do know what I wish to do.”