Youssef Zalal sees ‘downside’ 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 space, however was in the end outgrappled in a unanimous resolution loss. The setback snapped his four-fight profitable streak.

Nonetheless, Zalal’s loss aged nicely. 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 bought requested this yesterday. I like Max Holloway and I feel they mentioned Max Holloway vs. Ilia – I feel Ilia’s going to be an issue,” Zalal instructed 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. Nonetheless three-straight finishes on the regional scene bought 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?

“A whole lot of issues, however principally is the expertise and doing what I like,” Zalal mentioned. “I really feel like generally we go into life and we don’t respect the issues that we do, and I’m very dangerous at that generally. I really feel like I’m not affected person. I need all the things. I wish to do that, I wish to try this. That’s why in my early UFC profession, I used to be combating on a regular basis, nonstop.

“For me, there was no persistence. Taking dangers that you simply’re not even – like why do you even have to 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 altered is I do know what I like to do, and I do know what I wish to do.”