Zalal, one of the most affable fighters on the roster, laughed, explaining that he didn’t mind the interviews, knowing it was part of the job at this level of the sport. But when he got to the answer, it wasn’t exactly what one would expect.
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“To be honest, it’s fight week,” Zalal said. “All the emotions I feel, it’s almost like a movie. This is what excites me the most. Being in that fight week environment, being like, “Hey, let’s do this media, let’s do this photo, let’s go out with the team.” This week, it’s you. Because in the regional, it was like training with your teammates. You always come to the gym, stay home, lose weight, then go fight. But when you get on the plane to Vegas, it’s just you and the coaches and the whole UFC thing, whatever you’re doing. And that’s what I was missing.