Athletes
Aiemann Zahabi | The Unconventional Contender
Self-Described ‘Unathletic’ 37-Year-Old Aiemann Zahabi Discusses Ongoing Journey Up Bantamweight Ranks
When you close your eyes and conjure up an image of an ascending contender in the bantamweight division, your first, second, or third thought isn’t that of a 37-year-old fighter that started his UFC career with a 1-2 mark through their first three fights, including being on the receiving end of a vicious, viral knockout that left them pondering their future in the sport.
“Thirty-seven years old and still killing it out here!” said ascending bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi, who broke into the Top 10 earlier this year and takes on former title challenger Marlon “Chito” Vera this weekend at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
Since those consecutive setbacks, the Montreal-native cobbled together a 6-fight winning streak, bucking trends and defying expectations with each successive triumph.
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“I thought I would be here earlier, be here sooner, for sure, but it makes for a great story,” Zahabi said with a smile regarding his carrying a single digit ranking next to his name. “I feel like I’m now the example of ‘don’t quit on your dreams — buckle down, work harder, stick to it; surround yourself with those that believe in you, and in the end, don’t put a time restriction on yourself.’”
Reaching 35 years old was long viewed as the line of demarcation identifying the end of a fighter’s true championship window in the lighter weight classes. For years, no fighter beyond that age had been successful in a UFC championship bout. Two-time featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski ended that streak, and flyweight titleholder Alexandre Pantoja scored his fourth successful title defense earlier this year after passing that milestone himself.
Zahabi has always understood the narrative and has no issue with people being surprised at his later-than-usual climb toward contention. He even has a slightly self-deprecating theory as to why he’s been able to find the greatest success of his career after crossing that particular threshold.
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“I get it because normally in sports, regular sports, a lot of it depends on athleticism, but I’m not athletic in that sense,” he said with a laugh. “I don’t jump high, I don’t lift heavy, I don’t run fast. I get by on my brains, and one thing that’s great about MMA is there are so many ways to win.
“You can neutralize athleticism in MMA. You can make it later in life if what’s good about you is your efficiency, your problem-solving, your ability to adapt to your opponent as the fight progresses and changes, your ability to find ways to be safe, but also be dangerous.
“It takes a lot of time to build that level of experience and so right now, it’s ‘Unc Season’ and you’re seeing it more and more with all these older guys that are much craftier than these younger guys and it’s really starting to pay off.”
As comical as it is to hear a professional athlete who is currently amongst the 10 best fighters in their respective weight class saying these things about himself, it does fall in line with the way we generally view athletes and mixed martial artists perhaps more than most.
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The sweet spot for a competitor is when their talents and experience overlap—their athletic prime represented by the combined section in their personal Venn diagram. But forecasting when those two elements come together is an inexact science.
Since he has always been more technician and tactician versus someone that succeeds based on athletic abilities, Zahabi hitting his best stride now makes a great deal of sense.
Plus, he’s not someone that is carrying a ton of wear-and-tear either.
“I’m old in terms of my age, but in terms of mileage, I’m not that old,” offered the French-Canadian standout. “Marlon has been in a lot more wars than I have and he might be older in terms of mileage, wear-and-tear on the body compared to me. I don’t feel like the age will play a factor. Because I don’t have the physical attributes to begin with, I don’t feel like they diminished that much.”
Zahabi’s experience isn’t the only thing that has increased during the course of this 6-fight run of success though. So too has his hunger for more.
“I’m starving, man,” he said. “I’m not just hungry. These guys have what I want. I want to take what Marlon has. I want it all: the big checks, the recognition, the credibility.”
Though he’s still chasing more, the truth is that Zahabi’s recent triumphs — especially his UFC 315 rally to defeat José Aldo — have changed the narrative of his career.
On the way up, he struggled to get fights because of his last name and the success his brother Firas had experienced leading Montreal’s Tristar Gym. When he first touched down in the UFC, many argued he didn’t deserve to be there, and when he dropped two straight early in his tenure, those same people felt vindicated.
But with each successive victory, Zahabi has shown he belongs, shown he’s his own man, and stepped further out of his older brother’s shadow while simultaneously standing as a shining example of the elite instruction he’s received from Firas over the years.
“I owe so much of my success to him,” Zahabi said of his brother. “We just did UFC Connected,and I spoke about it. He helped shape me into being as good as I am.
“But what I try to explain to people is that in the end, I take the risk. I’m the one fighting in the cage. The split-second decisions that are made in there, it falls on me. My brother is giving me advice, he’s preparing me for the fights, but when you’re in the Octagon, no one can intercede for you.
“I feel like my brother is super-proud that I have become as successful as I am. We’re eight years apart — he’s like my second father — and I feel like he’s proud of my commitment and dedication to his training methods, to the family lineage.
“I am more of a success story in terms of the fact that I am 100-percent his fighter, where a lot of the other guys that have come with some pieces put together already and Firas was unifying the MMA for them, polishing them. I am his purest product, and I feel like I give legitimacy to his teachings, to Tristar MMA as a whole.”
Firmly standing on his own two feet inside the Top 10, Zahabi is ready to keep pushing forward this weekend, and recognizes a victory over Vera unlocks even greater opportunities in the future.
Aiemann Zahabi times a beautiful KO | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs Lewis
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Aiemann Zahabi times a beautiful KO | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs Lewis
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“He’s much more popular than me, that’s for sure, so I wanna take his followers,” he said. “I wanna be seen by the people that watch him. I want them to see me for as good as I’m gonna be that night, and I’m coming out there to perform.
“I wanna fight the big names, and I’m grateful to the UFC for giving me these two opportunities back-to-back. They’re allowing me to move up the ladder instead of moving back, and I’m excited because all I want is to fight the best of the best.”
Zahabi paused, recognizing that he’s presently living his professional dream.
“You’re always dreaming of that and now I’m doing it. This is literally what I asked for, and it’s gonna give me the opportunity to ask for something really big. I’ve got my name ready, but you have to wait until after the fight. I’m not gonna divulge it now.
“I’ve got my mind ready, but there are a lot of banana peels out there, so it’s nothing to worry about until it happens. But with a win on October 18, I can ask for something really nice.”
UFC Fight Night: De Ridder vs Allen took place live from Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada on October 18, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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