Aiemann Zahabi Follows in Brother's Footsteps
Aiemann Zahabi Follows in Brother's Footsteps
UFC newcomer Aiemann Zahabi is looking to follow in the footsteps of his brother and Tristar leader Firas Zahabi.
There’s a tradition in the Zahabi family that goes back to when brothers Firas and Aiemann were young, and maybe even farther than that. It’s a particular celebration that takes place at birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and more.
“My mom makes this cheesecake for these special occasions like birthdays and graduations,” Aiemann said, laughing. “I told her to have it ready for me on Monday night, we’re going to have a party at home.”
After Aiemann Zahabi makes his UFC debut on at UFC Fight Night 105 against Reginaldo Vieira, he’s hoping to resurrect the family tradition.
If you’ve followed the sport of mixed martial arts for any extended period of time, the Zahabi name will sound familiar. Aiemann’s brother, Firas, is the head trainer at TriStar in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He’s trained numerous world title challengers, but is most well-known for his work with former UFC welterweight champion and superstar of the sport, Georges St. Pierre.
Aiemann is seven years and 10 months younger than his brother, but the two have been inseparable for as long as he can remember.
“We’re so close that when we’re together outside of the gym, we really don’t need to talk,” Aiemann said with a signature laugh. “He’s been watching over me since I was a kid. He would carry me on his shoulders, drive me around once he got his license. He’d make sure I got to school. It’s been a blessing to have him there for me and I’ve been there for him as well, taking care of his kids when he travels. It’s very give and take.”
Aiemann tells an amusing story about watching UFC 2 with Firas on “one of those illegal pay-per-view boxes” that North American fans will likely remember all too well. When the channels would scramble and adult entertainment would end up on the screen, Firas would rush to cover Aiemann’s eyes, saying that things had gotten “too violent."
“I was like how could this be any more violent that the other stuff we saw?” Aiemann said. “Now that I’m older I realize it was adult entertainment.”
The two have remained inseparable since their early days. When Firas would travel to TriStar, Aiemann had to tag along.
“I really started training at 15,” Zahabi said. “I was in high school and my dad didn’t want me to get bullied or anything like that, he was really big on training his kids in martial arts. All my brothers did karate and Muay Thai. When Firas was going to Tri-Star, my dad would say to make sure to take me with him. It all grew from there.”
Today, Firas still instructs his brother, and while they don’t always agree on everything, Aiemann is knowledgeable and humble enough to recognize the success his brother has had and listen to what he has to say.
“It’s kind of like when a father coaches a son, it’s similar with big brother and little brother,” Zahabi said. “There’s always the attitude of “you don’t know more than me, you’re not my boss,” but he’s got a lot of years on me and he’s seen a lot. He’s been in the trenches for a lot of big fights and he’s been in the room with a lot of great minds. Sometimes I don’t agree with him on what we should do, but I always listen to his advice. In the end he’s right about a lot of things.”
The two have been intertwined throughout their lives, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. But when Aiemann enters the cage on Sunday, he’ll do so alone.
The 29-year-old has been training towards this goal for 14 years and will enter with a calmness that most debutantes to the Octagon simply aren’t able to manage.
Despite this being Aiemann’s first fight in the UFC, none of this is new ground. The first time he cornered a UFC fighter was David Loiseau at UFC 115 in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was 21.
“The UFC is like my house, I really don’t feel like a stranger to the UFC; I know the staff, I’ve been going to the UFC events for years,” Zahabi said. “I’ve been going multiple times each year since I cornered Loiseau in Vancouver. I’ve been in the corner for high stakes fights. I feel like I’ve gone through the strokes so many times that I think this is going to be normal. This is all normal for me.”
At UFC Fight Night 105, Aiemann will have the opportunity to establish himself as one of finest young bantamweights in the company. You can bet the first smiling face that will congratulate him will be that of his brother, Firas.
And if that’s not enough motivation, he’s got cheesecake waiting for him.
By Shawn Smith
“My mom makes this cheesecake for these special occasions like birthdays and graduations,” Aiemann said, laughing. “I told her to have it ready for me on Monday night, we’re going to have a party at home.”
After Aiemann Zahabi makes his UFC debut on at UFC Fight Night 105 against Reginaldo Vieira, he’s hoping to resurrect the family tradition.
If you’ve followed the sport of mixed martial arts for any extended period of time, the Zahabi name will sound familiar. Aiemann’s brother, Firas, is the head trainer at TriStar in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He’s trained numerous world title challengers, but is most well-known for his work with former UFC welterweight champion and superstar of the sport, Georges St. Pierre.
Aiemann is seven years and 10 months younger than his brother, but the two have been inseparable for as long as he can remember.
“We’re so close that when we’re together outside of the gym, we really don’t need to talk,” Aiemann said with a signature laugh. “He’s been watching over me since I was a kid. He would carry me on his shoulders, drive me around once he got his license. He’d make sure I got to school. It’s been a blessing to have him there for me and I’ve been there for him as well, taking care of his kids when he travels. It’s very give and take.”
Aiemann tells an amusing story about watching UFC 2 with Firas on “one of those illegal pay-per-view boxes” that North American fans will likely remember all too well. When the channels would scramble and adult entertainment would end up on the screen, Firas would rush to cover Aiemann’s eyes, saying that things had gotten “too violent."
“I was like how could this be any more violent that the other stuff we saw?” Aiemann said. “Now that I’m older I realize it was adult entertainment.”
The two have remained inseparable since their early days. When Firas would travel to TriStar, Aiemann had to tag along.
“I really started training at 15,” Zahabi said. “I was in high school and my dad didn’t want me to get bullied or anything like that, he was really big on training his kids in martial arts. All my brothers did karate and Muay Thai. When Firas was going to Tri-Star, my dad would say to make sure to take me with him. It all grew from there.”
Today, Firas still instructs his brother, and while they don’t always agree on everything, Aiemann is knowledgeable and humble enough to recognize the success his brother has had and listen to what he has to say.
“It’s kind of like when a father coaches a son, it’s similar with big brother and little brother,” Zahabi said. “There’s always the attitude of “you don’t know more than me, you’re not my boss,” but he’s got a lot of years on me and he’s seen a lot. He’s been in the trenches for a lot of big fights and he’s been in the room with a lot of great minds. Sometimes I don’t agree with him on what we should do, but I always listen to his advice. In the end he’s right about a lot of things.”
The two have been intertwined throughout their lives, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon. But when Aiemann enters the cage on Sunday, he’ll do so alone.
The 29-year-old has been training towards this goal for 14 years and will enter with a calmness that most debutantes to the Octagon simply aren’t able to manage.
Despite this being Aiemann’s first fight in the UFC, none of this is new ground. The first time he cornered a UFC fighter was David Loiseau at UFC 115 in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was 21.
“The UFC is like my house, I really don’t feel like a stranger to the UFC; I know the staff, I’ve been going to the UFC events for years,” Zahabi said. “I’ve been going multiple times each year since I cornered Loiseau in Vancouver. I’ve been in the corner for high stakes fights. I feel like I’ve gone through the strokes so many times that I think this is going to be normal. This is all normal for me.”
At UFC Fight Night 105, Aiemann will have the opportunity to establish himself as one of finest young bantamweights in the company. You can bet the first smiling face that will congratulate him will be that of his brother, Firas.
And if that’s not enough motivation, he’s got cheesecake waiting for him.
By Shawn Smith