It was the perfect youth vs. experience narrative, heading into the Youssef Zalal vs. Josh Emmett featherweight bout at UFC 320. ‘The Moroccan Devil’ was gunning to crash the list of elites in the featherweight division. Meanwhile, the 40-year-old was hoping to get himself in the picture for a late-career title shot. And things just could not have gone worse for him.

Youssef Zalal delivered a breakthrough performance, submitting veteran Josh Emmett in the opening round. Zalal stayed composed early, using his footwork to keep Emmett at bay before timing a perfect level change to take the fight to the ground. Once there, he displayed slick grappling transitions, threatening a triangle before smoothly switching to an armbar. 

Youssef Zalal calls out Lerone Murphy after forcing Josh Emmett to quit at UFC 320

Emmett tried to power out, but Zalal’s control was airtight, forcing a verbal tap. The victory marked Zalal’s fifth straight win since returning to the UFC, proving he’s more than ready to challenge the division’s top names. Celebrating his emphatic victory, the Moroccan featherweight fighter didn’t waste much time, announcing his intentions. 

Zalal declared that Diego Lopes was the No.1 contender and called out Lerone Murphy for a fight. Later, during the post-fight press conference, Zalal was confident that his win over Emmett would get him a title shot. “Finishing Josh Emmett will 100% get me either a title shot or into the conversation. No questions asked,” he said. 

Championship Rounds shared a clip of Zalal’s submission, with the caption, “YOUSSEF ZALAL SUBMITS JOSH EMMETT IN THE FIRST ROUND!!!! OH MY GOD.” Naturally, fans were all over the fight on social media as they expressed their thoughts. 

Josh Emmett faces washed claims after verbal tap

One user speculated that Emmett intentionally gave up too soon. The user wrote, “Josh Emmett tapping so fast in order not to get injured to fight in White House is crazy, sorry for Emmett bettors today.” This is a stretch considering the lineup for the White House hasn’t been confirmed yet. 

Another user praised Zalal for his performance while referencing his fight against Ilia Topuria. The user commented, “Did we just forget that Zalal took Topuria to a controversial split decision and nearly finished him!” A small correction there, Topuria defeated Zalal via unanimous decision. 

Someone else claimed Zalal won’t get the credit he deserves. The user wrote, “That win won’t get the credit it deserves, but beating Josh Emmett that fast is a feat in itself. Zalal is a sleeper in the FW division in terms of title challengers on the verge of waiting in the wings after earning their opportunity.” Notably, Emmett is well on his way out of the fight game at 40.

This user criticized Emmett. The user wrote, “Emmett is washed, but that was still very impressive.” However, Emmett refuses to retire from the sport yet. 

Meanwhile, another user was empathetic towards Emmett. The user wrote, “Damn, great win for Youssef and discouraging loss for Josh.” It’s yet to be seen what Emmett does next.

Having said that, Youssef Zalal is clearly looking forward to much bigger things after the win. And fans seem to agree with it. But what do you think lies ahead for Emmett?