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LAS VEGAS – Youssef Zalal beat Jarno Errens with a first-round submission Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC on ESPN 61 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Zalal, who picked up a $50,000 bonus with one of just three finishes on the card.
Youssef Zalal def. Jarno Errens
Result: Youssef Zalal def. Jarno Errens via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:52
Updated records: Zalal (15-5-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC), Errens (14-6-1 MMA, 1-3 UFC)
Key stats: After he was let go from his first UFC stint with a 3-3-1 record, Zalal has won five straight – all by stoppage, with four in the first round.
Zalal on the fight’s key moment
“Man, that dude was trying to take my head off. We kind of saw that. … That was the game plan. I felt a little slow in my hands, but obviously I was critical of myself. … I try to listen to my coaches and really do all the things they said, and I feel like executed the plan as perfect as can be.”
Zalal on his loss to current champ Ilia Topuria
“When I fought Ilia (Topuria), (The announcers) were like, ‘Youssef looks good, but (Topuria) doesn’t look the same. He looks a little old. He’s a little slow.’ I was like, damn: You guys can’t give me props? Maybe I’m that good. Maybe I made him look that way.”
Zalal on what he wants next
“I don’t care. Whoever they give me. I’m just blessed for this opportunity, and I’m grateful for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to go out there and keep performing. That’s all that matters is performance and what you do in that cage.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Youssef Zalal: Motivation from Ilia Topuria loss key in successful second UFC run