Youssef Zalal plans to enter title contention talk with statement win over Josh Emmett at UFC 320

Youssef Zalal knows he can be closing in on a featherweight title shot at UFC 320.

Zalal is set to open the main card against Josh Emmett in a pivotal fight at featherweight. After Zalal’s win over Calvin Kattar, he called out Emmett, but he said that was due to the fact that he was the highest-ranked fighter without a fight.

“The only reason I called out Josh was because he was the only one who didn’t have a fight,” Zalal said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “Arnold, I don’t know what’s going on with him. Yair is hurt. All these guys were booked, so I was going to call my shot to get the guy who didn’t have a fight… He has no choice, and he’s about to find out who’s a bigger name after this. It doesn’t matter, it’s the fight game, he had his time and fought the big guys, you had your chance.”

Although Zalal called out Emmett, he does respect him as a fighter and knows how dangerous he is. Zalal knows Emmett is a power-puncher, so he has to be careful.

“No matter how old he is, he can put your lights out, so you have to respect it,” Zalal said. “That is why he’s stayed in the top-10 for years. You have to watch out for his power, also his durability, and he’s a very dangerous guy.”

Youssef Zalal says Josh Emmett hasn’t fought anyone like him

Entering the bout at UFC 320, Youssef Zalal is the favorite, and he’s confident he has all the tools to beat Josh Emmett.

Zalal believes Emmett hasn’t fought anyone like him, and no matter where the fight goes, he’s confident he will get his hand raised.

“Man, this fight game is wild. All I know is he’s never fought anyone like me,” Zalal said. “He’s never fought anyone who can do jiu-jitsu, can do wrestling, can do boxing, can do striking. Everybody talks about Calvin’s boxing, and I went out and outboxed him. He’s another problem and puzzle that I can’t wait to go solve.”

Should Zalal get his hand raised, the goal is to fight one more time this year to cement himself as a legit featherweight title contender.

“Never say never, I always want to fight as much as I can. Especially in this sport, the younger you are, the better. I want to be back in December. And, then be in title contention talk,” Zalal concluded.