Zahabi hopes for UFC call for Ottawa date
Years of experience in many roles in the fight game work to his advantage
Following his win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194, new undisputed featherweight champion Conor McGregor stood alone at the podium in a sharp three-piece suit, talking about his options. While his commentary was strictly personal, it applies to fighters at every level.
In a sport where opportunities don’t always knock as frequently as you would like, it’s never a bad thing to have options. That’s the position Aiemann Zahabi finds himself in after he picked up his sixth straight first-round stoppage win two weeks ago at Prestige FC 2: Queen City Coronation in Regina.
The younger brother of Fir as Z aha bi and a familiar face around the MMA world thanks to his work cornering fighters, the 28-year-old bantamweight from Laval hopes his most recent victory will be enough to merit a call from the UFC, which makes its 2016 Canadian debut in Ottawa in June.
But if the phone doesn’t ring, Zahabi isn’t worried. Unlike many fighters competing on the regional circuit, he already has his next fight lined up.
“I always had in the back of my mind that if I did a really good job and I finished him that I would get the call to the UFC,” admits the 6-0 prospect about 24-year-old Kyle Oliveira of Winnipeg.
“After the fight, the first thing I told Firas was, ‘Let’s keep our ears out and hopefully they pick us up after this one.’ If not, I signed a contract with Prestige Fight Club for a title fight if I won, so I have one fight secured even if the UFC doesn’t call me; I know I’ll be active.”
While a date and opponent for the proposed title match under the Prestige FC banner has yet to be set, Zahabi, like everyone else who has fought for the upstart promotion thus far, has nothing but good things to say about the organization and expects to return to the cage in the next couple of months.
“Cord (Crowthers) and the guys from Prestige are doing a great job; it was super-professional and I don’t think any fighter has any complaints about how they are treated there.”
But Zahabi would prefer that his next fight come in the UFC Octagon, ideally when the promotion heads to Ottawa with a fight card headlined by his teammate, B.C.’s Rory MacDonald. And it very well could. Having been around the sport for more than a decade and working alongside world-class coaches and athletes on a regular basis, Zahabi has a different level of understanding of the fight game than many of his contemporaries trying to break into the big leagues.
He’s helped the likes of David Loiseau and Kenny Florian prepare for UFC title fights and risen through the ranks under the tutelage of his philosophical and meticulous brother, one of the sharpest minds in the sport.
Now Zahabi plans to suspend his coaching duties to focus on his fighting career. It’s a difficult decision, but there are times when fighters need to be selfish.
“It sucks a little bit because it feels like I’ll be letting them down, but I can help them more if I’m better. I’ve given up a lot of time for a lot of people and now it is my time to step it up and try to shake up the UFC bantamweight division, turn it on its head.”
Hopefully he does that starting on June 18 in Ottawa.