Youssef Zalal's new sense of purpose

“Me in the first round of the UFC,” he laughs. “You can ask anyone about it. Just bring it up. I guarantee you they will stop and then try to be nice. But I guarantee you, that was my thing. But now if I look good in the gym, I want to look good in a fight. That’s what drives me and motivates me, to be honest, because I was the guy that you would say we just need a fight, like you train in the gym.”

He didn't like this criticism until he realized it was true. And when he realized this truth, he became a different fighter.

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“I think the most important thing was having a goal,” Zalal said. “I feel like I'm a kid just talking. Kids say, “I want to do this, I want to have this car, I want to have that.” And I'm a very goal-oriented guy. Whatever it takes for me to achieve this goal, I want to achieve it. But I started to really believe in fame and not actually do the things that got me there in the first place. So I think the experience is definitely the biggest thing. And of course the biggest thing was realizing it and getting comfortable with myself.”