Emmett Vs. Zalal Odds, Full Fight Preview & Prediction

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Featherweight strikers Josh Emmett and Youssef Zalal will throw down this weekend (Sat., Oct. 4, 2025) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada at UFC 320.

At 40 years of age, Emmett remains an absolute brick wall, a major physical force with scary knockout power. However, the former interim title challenger has also lost three of his last four fights. Even if all of those defeats came to Top Five-ranked opposition, the hard-hitting veteran could really use a return to the win column here. Conversely, Zalal is riding a four-fight win streak since returning to the UFC for his second stint. “The Moroccan Devil” is clearly sharper than ever and has already worked his way into the Top 10 ahead of this critical Featherweight showdown.

Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:

Emmett vs. Zalal Betting Odds

How Emmett Wins

Emmett has a cinderblock of a right hand and a collegiate wrestling background, a recipe for MMA success for as long as Octagons and four-ounce gloves have existed. Often, Emmett likes to work the outside rather than pressure relentless, aiming to catch opponents off-guard with sudden advances or in the midst of their own offense.

Against Zalal, that won’t really be an option. He’s too slick at distance, too rangy to be allowed to work. He has a style much like Emmett’s last opponent Lerone Murphy, meaning Zalal will win the points battle if allowed to operate freely.

Pressuring won’t be easy, but it’s necessary. Emmett really has to focus on cutting off the cage and building body-head combinations. Zalal is quite difficult to hit, so targeting the mid-section and guaranteeing some connection will help ensure that Emmett is able to start moving his opponent around. Plus, as Junior dos Santos demonstrated his entire career, there are few setups better for an overhand than touching the body repeatedly.

It’s also important that Emmett doesn’t give up the kicking battle entirely, which would only accentuate Zalal’s range advantage. Zalal is the sharper and more varied kicker, but Emmett could still find success in getting Zalal’s feet moving then booting the trail leg.

How Zalal Wins

Zalal is a very composed and calculated distance striker. He moves his feet and fights at range very well, almost forcing opponents to fall into him. When they start to pursue, Zalal excels at timing knees and reactive takedowns, turning their aggression against them.

Obviously, Zalal doesn’t want to trade punches with Josh Emmett. He also can’t afford to be running away constantly, so he has to earn Emmett’s respect at distance. The harder he can land punishing kicks and snappy jabs on his opponent, the more willing Emmett will be to hang back and let Zalal play his game. In the past, we’ve seen opponents like Yair Rodriguez kick the calf and front kick Emmett to good effect, so expect Zalal to attempt something similar.

Another key for Zalal will be feints and direction changes. He has to keep his back off the fence, because that’s where Emmett stands the best shot at intercepting his counter with a right hand (a la Bryce Mitchell).

Emmett vs. Zalal Prediction

I think the odds here are a little unreasonable, even if I understand the thought process. We just saw Emmett come up short versus a similar stylistic match up in Lerone Murphy, and he’s a 40-year-old Featherweight. Combine Zalal’s recent success, and Zalal being a considerable favorite starts to make more sense.

Still, Zalal ain’t Murphy. “The Miracle” is better at their shared game, and he still only won by a single round. With just 15 minutes to work this time, I expect Emmett to push a harder pace and find enough success with his power punches and takedowns to sway the judges.

Prediction: Emmett via decision