LAS VEGAS – Youssef Zalal has made the bold accusation that Calvin Kattar intentionally greased up prior to their UFC Fight Night 251 co-main event clash.
Zalal (17-5-1 MMA, 7-3-1 UFC) earned his fourth consecutive victory since returning to the UFC for a second stint, and his biggest career win to date, with a unanimous decision triumph over Kattar (23-9 MMA, 7-7 UFC) on Saturday at the UFC Apex. He clearly won the first and second round before his opponent took the third, but there was a curious takeaway from the contest.
According to Zalal, who failed on all eight of his takedown attempts throughout the fight, Kattar was unusually slippery any time he put hands on him, and he thinks there may have been some foul play.
“This is the crazy part: We worked a lot of grappling, and I sh*t you not, I felt like there’s Vaseline all over his legs,” Zalal told MMA Junkie and other reporters post-fight at UFC Fight Night 251. “I swear to God, he was the most slipperiest guy I’ve ever seen in my life, and I felt like I’m not trying to be that guy with this and that (excuse). But man, that was suspicious, bro.
“Nobody slides like that – that quick. I’ve fought a lot of good guys – Jack Shore and all those guys – and I felt when you’re dry and all that stuff, there’s no way. It is what it is. You can cheat the sport, you can do whatever you want.”
Regardless of his accusations, Zalal, 28, said he is happy to get his hand raised and has his eyes on bigger names in the featherweight division.
“I’m doing me and it’s going to get me to the top,” Zalal said.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 251.
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