Patricio 'Pitbull' calls out Youssef Zalal for next UFC fight

Patricio Freire knows who he wants inside the UFC cage next.

While he's been relatively quiet about his next move since a loss to Aaron Pico at UFC 327 in April, "Pitbull" isn't done pursuing championship belts quite yet – and he has his sights set on a specific target: Youssef Zalal.

"It’d be a great birthday present to get my next fight date today," Freire wrote on X. "@TheMorocanDevil let’s fight."

Freire (37-9 MMA, 1-2 UFC) turned 39 on Tuesday. Widely-regarded as the greatest fighter in Bellator history, Freire made the jump to the UFC after his former promotion folded into PFL. He lost to Yair Rodriguez before a win over Dan Ige. Then came the loss vs. Pico – something Freire hopes to make fans forget about vs. Zalal (18-6-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC).

"He’s been in exciting fights and these are the kinds of fights I’m looking for," Freire told MMA Junkie through a Portuguese-language translator Tuesday. "I didn’t like how my first two fights in the UFC went and I want the audience to be entertained. He’s young and ranked, that’s the kind of fight that could help me climb the rankings. He’s well rounded but likes to strike. Same as me. It’d be fireworks."

Zalal, 29, also aims to bounce back from a semi-recent defeat. In April, he lost to Aljamain Sterling by unanimous decision. The defeat snapped an improbable five-fight winning streak for Zalal, who was cut from the promotion in 2022 but returned with a vengeance in 2024.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Patricio 'Pitbull' calls out Youssef Zalal for next UFC fight