“The Moroccan Devil” needs change.
It has been nearly five months since No. 9-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight contender Youssef Zalal suffered a competitive unanimous decision loss to former Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling at UFC Vegas 116 inside Meta Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The defeat snapped Zalal’s impressive eight-fight winning streak, which included victories over Josh Emmett and Calvin Kattar. It was also Zalal’s first loss since returning to UFC following
a two-year absence from the promotion.
Now, the 30-year-old is making the biggest professional change of his career.
Zalal has officially parted ways with Factory X, the Colorado-based gym he joined at just 18 years old and represented throughout his entire professional career.
“I’m definitely no longer fighting out of Factory X,” Zalal recently told MMA Junkie. “But Marc Montoya has been nothing but a father figure and, obviously, a mentor for most of my life, to be honest. He’s been with me throughout my entire professional career. When I fight, he’ll probably be there, but not in my corner….As a kid, I grew up in that program, but things changed. At the level I’m at now, I still need growth.”
Despite the timing, Zalal insisted that his loss to Sterling did not influence his decision to leave Factory X. There was also no dramatic falling-out with longtime head coach Marc Montoya, whom Zalal still considers an important figure in his life.
Instead, Zalal cited personal reasons and the need for a different training environment. Specifically, he wants access to more sparring partners and greater one-on-one attention as he attempts to evolve his striking and sharpen the other areas of his game.
Zalal already has a potential new coach in mind: Trevor Wittman.
Wittman has helped guide Kamaru Usman, Rose Namajunas and Justin Gaethje to UFC gold. He also works with a relatively small group of fighters, potentially giving Zalal the individualized instruction he believes he needs to reach the next level.
While Zalal has not officially announced that he has joined Wittman’s team, that appears to be the direction he is heading.
As for his return, Zalal is targeting December or early 2027. He does not want to rush back before finding the right training situation, settling into his new team and completing a full camp under a different coaching structure.
Zalal also does not appear concerned about who UFC offers him next. Much of the ranked Featherweight field is currently booked or recently competed, leaving the division without an obvious opponent for him.
For the first time in his professional career, Zalal will prepare without Factory X serving as his home base.
It is an uncomfortable change, but that may be exactly what “The Moroccan Devil” believes he needs.
