Aiemann Zahabi | The Full Story

And then things went sideways.

His sophomore appearance came at Madison Square Garden at UFC 217, a bout headlined by St-Pierre’s return to competition after four years away that culminated in winning the middleweight title, but Zahabi didn’t get to see it. Earlier in the night, a third-round spinning back elbow from Ricardo Ramos knocked him unconscious, his unbeaten record instantly a thing of the past.

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He spent more than a year recovering and contemplating his future, unsure whether he should return to action of shift to coaching full time. After 18 months, Zahabi returned to the Octagon, stepping in with Vince Morales at a Fight Night event in Ottawa, dropping a unanimous decision in a fight where the and his uncertainty about himself and his future shined through in his performance. 

“I was getting ready in the background — quiet, doing my thing — and GSP came to the locker room before that fight, and he told me something that it was the perfect time for me to hear it, and he said it in the right way,” began Zahabi. “He said, ‘Don’t go out there and try to be more than yourself. Just be Aiemann, and you’re more than enough to beat anyone of these guys. Don’t be a shell of yourself. Don’t be afraid to take risks; you’re amazing. Just be you and you can win the world title.’ That really clicked for me, really helped me find my confidence.”

The safety of two consecutive wins and sage advice from St-Pierre began to create real self-belief in Zahabi, who spent portions of his training camp getting rag-dolled by the menaces at the Montreal Wrestling Club, where Canada’s national team trains, ahead of his UFC 289 bout with Aoriqileng.

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It’s the kind of place and experience that teaches you a great deal about yourself because you’re not winning many rounds in that room. There are really two options: accept the fact that you’re going to get pummeled and lose constantly while finding the positives to take away from the experience or look for a way out and eventually head for that exit. Zahabi opted for the former, added to his toughness and resilience, and then knocked out Aoriqileng in 64 seconds to run his winning streak to three.

Prior to his fight with Munhoz, Zahabi began working with a mindset and performance coach, “Mindset” Mike Moor, who helped him focus on staying in the moment and dealing with the conditions in front of him, performing regardless of the circumstances.  Their work together came in handy during Zahabi’s next fight, a home game in Montreal against former featherweight champion and UFC Hall of Fame inductee Jose Aldo at UFC 315.

Before the two men stepped into the Octagon, Zahabi was faced with a challenge and change in conditions as on the morning of weigh-ins, when he was already within a pound of the bantamweight limit, a call came through that Aldo was nowhere close and needed the fight shifted to a catchweight closer to the featherweight limit of 145 pounds. Zahabi accepted, rehydrating to eventually land on the scale at 142 pounds while Aldo came in at 143 pounds. 

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Aldo won the first and Zahabi won the second to send the pair into the third round with the fight hanging in the balance. The Brazilian legend came out crisp and had Zahabi on the ropes less than 90 seconds in, hurting him with a right hand before a knee sent him tumbling backwards to the canvas, stumbling to the other side of the Octagon in search of open space and a chance to regroup. Aldo gave chase and continued to attack, but then Zahabi planted his feet and landed a clean one-two that slowed his opponent’s advances. Another right hand landed for the Canadian and the tides began to shift, fatigue setting in for Aldo as Zahabi steadied himself.

Over the final three minutes of the fight, Zahabi dominated, finishing the contest in Aldo’s guard, raining down elbows that left the former champion leaking.

“He’s really built that fortress for me in my mind,” Zahabi said of Moor, who remains a constant part of his preparations. “That really shined through in the fight against Aldo. Maybe if I didn’t have that mindset training, maybe I wouldn’t have dug deep? Maybe I would have found a way out? But I found a way in — so deep in that I broke Aldo.”

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Officially, Zahabi earned a unanimous decision win, garnering 29-28 scores from all three judges, but the court of public opinion largely and vocally disagreed. They felt the same way five months later when he came out on the happy side of a split decision verdict in a bout with Marlon “Chito” Vera in Vancouver, edging out another beloved bantamweight, much to the chagrin of his supporters.

“When I fought ‘Chito’ and I got dropped, got up and he broke my arm, a lot of people say, ‘Oh, you barely beat Chito,’ but how many guys would have quit?” Zahabi said. “How many guys would have found a way out or not kept their composure and ended up in a submission? I just feel like when people say I ‘barely beat Aldo’ and ‘barely beat Chito,’ they’re trying to discredit me instead of admiring the fact that I showed so much resilience and perseverance… If it was their favorite fighter that survived, they would be singing their praises.

“I think I’ve become a spoiler in the UFC. I am the spoiler. People don’t know my name very well, and they’re starting to get to know me, but I feel like I’m building myself a great story and when we look back, people are really going to appreciate me when it’s all said and done.”

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Following his win over Vera, Zahabi called for a fight with O’Malley. O’Malley got booked into a fight with Song Yadong at UFC 324 in January, the popular former titleholder serving as another marquee name attached to the massive kickoff event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. “Suga” scored a unanimous decision win, putting him in a prime position to be added to the historic event at the White House in June.

And Zahabi got his wish.

“I can’t wait for June 14,” Zahabi said. “People think this moment is gonna eat me up, but they don’t understand — I can’t wait for this moment. I’ve been dreaming and praying for these opportunities, so why would I be afraid of them? I am here to accept it. I am here to relish in it… In this position, people don’t understand that I can’t lose. I can lose the fight, but I am a winner forever now. Being here, with this group of guys, fighting on this card, I am a success. I have won.

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“Working with ‘Mindset Mike,’ one thing that is good about him is that he works on me as a person, and he works on me as an athlete. I have finally become the person I have always wanted to be personally and professionally. I am the guy who wins these moments. I have my life in order, I have my training in order, I have my game plan in order; it is for me to show up and take it… I am at peace if I don’t get it. If it’s not meant for me from God, it’s not meant for me, but something better is gonna come out of it. There is gonna be another opportunity. If I go out there and I win and I get the title fight? Incredible. If I go out there and I have a sick performance and I come up short, maybe my next fight is a main event in Montreal? Then I win that fight, and I’m back in the talks… There (is) an infinite (number) of possibilities of what could happen; all I have to do now is go out there and live it.”

Some will mistake that perspective for him having already accepted defeat or giving himself outs in case things don’t go his way, but the reality is that for Zahabi, being at peace with things in advance is what will allow him to stride into the Octagon on the South Lawn and be at his absolute best.

“My quote for this training camp has been ‘My heart is at peace, because whatever is meant for me will never miss me and whatever misses me was never meant for me,’” he said. “‘God will steer, but I must row.’ … For this fight with Sean O’Malley, I have my compass. I know where I can win and where I can lose. Now, it’s just about execution. The game plan is easy. He knows where he’s weak. I know where I’m weak. I know where I’m strong. That’s why we watch these fights. 

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“There are forced errors and unforced errors, and (both) can cost you the fight. Me, I try to go out there and try not to get into unforced errors, but in my last two fights, unfortunately, I fell into two unforced errors, and I was able to turn it all around. I don’t want that to happen with this O’Malley fight. For me, it’s gonna come down to discipline on the game plan, making sure I’m wary of his strikes, and finding a way to score mine without letting him score.”