In Las Vegas on October 4, 2025, Youssef Zalal made a big statement at UFC 320 by submitting veteran Josh Emmett in the first round – wasting no time looking ahead to a top contender.
The Moroccan featherweight ended the match with a submission by armbar in less than two minutes, getting Emmett to tap, and producing one of the most impressive wins of his UFC career to this point. This was his 5th straight win since returning to the UFC.
It was a fast, confident performance that showed how much Zalal has polished his grappling since returning to the featherweight division earlier this year.
Speaking to reporters after the fight, Zalal got straight to the point about who he wants next. ““I just beat the guy he went five rounds with, and Diego looked fantastic in his last fight,” Zalal said.
“Give me Lerone [Murphy] and the winner fights for the belt.” The callout instantly caught fans’ attention, as Lerone Murphy has been building momentum himself, remaining unbeaten in the UFC and climbing toward title contention.
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Building toward a featherweight title eliminator
Zalal is playing it smart here – it makes sense in the current featherweight picture. Murphy is undefeated in the UFC and is also coming off an impressive win. If the two do fight, Zalal will have the clear next contender in the division behind Diego Lopes and Movsar Evloev for the title.
For Zalal, who’s now riding a winning streak and has finished his last two opponents, it’s a natural next step rather than a leap. Murphy, meanwhile, offers the kind of stylistic and ranking test that could decide who’s ready for a title shot.
There’s some speculation about what may actually happen next for Zalal. Some analysts have predicted a fight with Arnold Allen, which will test him inside the top 5. But Zalal seems uninterested in detours. He wants Murphy.
The realistic and ideal path for Youssef Zalal would be a fight with Lerone Murphy in early 2026 in order to break into the top five, followed by a matchup against Diego Lopes or Movsar Evloev, and — if all goes well — a title shot against Alexander Volkanovski (or the new champion) towards late 2026 or in early 2027.
Whether or not the UFC books the fight, Zalal made it clear that he wanted Lerone Murphy next, and that fight should determine who is the next challenger for the belt.
