Zalal: Getting UFC call marked 'best day of my life so far'

Factory X featherweight prospect Youssef Zalal was at a loss for words when he learned the UFC had signed him.

"My manager called me with a smirk face and like, I knew I had an opportunity to get in the UFC but I didn't know it was that was close," Zalal told theScore "I was basically speechless, like I couldn't even talk. That day went on to be the best day of my life so far."

Zalal (7-2) will step up on short notice to face fellow Legacy Fighting Alliance veteran Austin Lingo at UFC 247 on Feb. 8. Zalal is no stranger to Lingo, who will also be making his UFC debut.

"I actually thought I was going to fight him in LFA," the Colorado-based fighter explained. "I was like, 'Watch it, LFA is going to have me come to Texas (his hometown) and I guarantee I'm going to fight him.' There's not a whole lot featherweights you can think about regionally you know? So I had a feeling like I was going to fight him ... now it's going to be UFC."

Lingo, 25, boasts a perfect 7-0 record, while the 23-year-old Zalal lost back-to-back fights in 2019. Though Zalal believes he won both of those decision losses, he thinks the setbacks will prove advantageous going forward.

"At the end of the day, those losses taught me the stuff not just in fighting, but outside the cage. That your meals, recovery, sleep, stuff like that has to be on point. I definitely have a little advantage with that and I'm glad I learned that here regionally before the UFC. Now I get to show what I really learned from those two fights."

With the two newcomers boasting a combined 11 career stoppage wins, Zalal expects an explosive matchup to kick off the preliminary card.

"If you watch Austin Lingo, you know how the fight goes with him," said Zalal, a native of Morroco. "He's a very powerful guy that comes forward. For me, it's about showing my knowledge about this fight game. Obviously, if you watch me, you know you'll see a finish."

UFC 247 takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston. Jon "Bones" Jones will defend his light heavyweight title against Dominick Reyes in the main event.