Youssef Zalal entered Saturday’s UFC Vegas 102 co-main event against No. 10 ranked Calvin Kattar as an unranked fighter riding a six-fight winning streak. He extended his winning ways to seven consecutive fights, defeating Kattar by unanimous decision.
With the win, Zalal will likely enter the rankings near the tenth spot and wants to face a former two-time title challenger next. During his post-fight interview after defeating Kattar, Zalal called out Brian Ortega.
“I hear Brian Ortega is trying to go about to 155. I’ll give him one more round in the 45 division and show him what’s up,” Zalal said in his octagon interview with Daniel Cormier. “I don’t care who they give me. I’ll be ready.”
Ortega is ranked No. 6 in the UFC featherweight division. He’s fought for the 145-pound title twice but came up short against Max Holloway at UFC 231 and then to Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266.
Since the loss to Holloway in 2018, Ortega has struggled. He entered the fight with “Blessed” undefeated but hasn’t been able to put together back-to-back wins. He’s lost three of his last four fights and four of his last six.
