Aiemann Zahabi Enjoys Pressure of Carrying The Family Name in UFC

Being the younger brother of Georges St-Pierre and Tristar’s head coach Firas Zahabi is bound to draw attention

Aiemann Zahabi’s unanimous decision win over Reginaldo Vieira at UFC Fight Night 105 on Sunday displayed how to deal with such pressure in his promotional debut victory. The Tristar fighter recently told MMAjunkie:

“A lot of people think I was going to feel the pressure, but I love it,” Zahabi told MMAjunkie. “It was a gift to have people care about what’s going to happen with you and your performance.”

An accidental eye-poke may have hindered the debutant, who also notably fought three rounds for the first time in his professional MMA career. This was a test which Zahabi expected, however:

“I knew it was going to be a big test,” Zahabi said. “I’m always looking for the finish. I thought I had him a couple times rocked for the finish, but I didn’t want to overexert myself to get caught with something stupid. … I dug deep and showed I was tough out there.

“A lot of people wanted to know if I was tough, if I had any grit in me. If this fight didn’t show, I’m going to keep fighting in the UFC, and I’m only fighting tougher guys. I’m excited for my next test.”

The obvious perks of training under his older brother at Tristar’s gym in Canada were the opportunities to work and grow alongside names such as Georges St-Pierre, & former UFC welterweight Rory MacDonald. While Zahabi is no spring chicken at 29 years old, he feels that experience is a factor which makes him a formidable opponent for anyone in the UFC, and is looking towards one man for an opportunity come this summer:

“There’s only one place to go, and that’s to Sean Shelby. Hopefully, he’ll contact me or my brother, and we’ll get chatting, see what’s up. Sean Shelby gives me the names. He’s the man with the options, so we’ll see what play he wants to do and hopefully, we’ll get a good fight for May or June.”

Related News

Top Stories

UFC Store

What’s Next After UFC 312? Current UFC 313 Card For Las Vegas On March 8

UFC 312 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed...

Demetrious Johnson Tells Sean Strickland To ‘Swallow His Ego’ & Change His Style After UFC 312

UFC legend Demetrious Johnson thinks it's time for Sean Strickland to change his ways...

Dricus Du Plessis: Khamzat Chimaev ‘Deserves A Hiding’ Before Alex Pereira Fight

Dricus Du Plessis successfully defended his middleweight title for the second time with a...

Dana White Reveals ‘Fascinating’ Revelation He Had While Watching Sean Strickland At UFC 312

Sean Strickland’s loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 was a decisive unanimous...

Dricus Du Plessis ‘Super Frustrated’ By UFC 312 Boos: ‘If It Was Towards Me, You Are Stupid’

UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis insists he's not to blame for how his...

UFC Analyst Rips Sean Strickland After UFC 312 Performance: ‘He’s Not Who He Says He Is’

Sean Strickland’s pre-fight promises of a brutal, all-out war with Dricus Du Plessis at...

Joe Rogan Reacts To Dricus Du Plessis’ UFC 312 Win Over Sean Strickland: ‘He’s A Tough Puzzle’

While the UFC 312 main event itself didn't exactly deliver fireworks, color commentator Joe...

Merab Dvalishvili Slams Controversial Stoppage At UFC 312: ‘Hate This!’

UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili was not pleased to see one fighter's outing at...

Khamzat Chimaev & Nassourdine Imavov Among Fighters Unimpressed By UFC 312 Main Event

Dricus Du Plessis and Sean Strickland ran it back in Saturday's UFC 312 headliner,...