"It's not true that Khabib never got beat up" - Firas Zahabi says greats like Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov have taken "many beatings"

Firas Zahabi has claimed that legendary fighters like Georges St-Pierre, Jon Jones and Khabib Nurmagomedov have all taken "many beatings" throughout the course of their careers. According to the head coach of Tristar Gym, fighters must suffer setbacks in order to become great mixed martial artists.

He explained that while fans haven't seen the likes of Jones, 'GSP' and Nurmagomedov getting beaten up too often inside the octagon, they all had to taste humble pie during their early days or before turning professional. Zahabi pointed out that Khabib Nurmagomedov turned pro at the right time with a lot of experience under his belt from "hundreds" of amateur fights.

The Canadian coach feels that it is extremely important for fighters not to rush into turning professional. During a recent appearance on the Blood Brothers podcast, Firas Zahabi said:

"It's not true that Khabib never got beat up. You guys just never seen it because by the time he got to professional, he had so many amateur fights... A lot of professionals nowadays they turn professional too early, too fast, too soon... but fighters like Khabib had hundreds of amateur fights... Georges St-Pierre, you didn't see the beatings he got but he got many beatings in amateur career.... Jon Jones used to have a 50-50 [win-loss record], like his wrestling matches, he would win one, lose one... They were not shining stars from the cradle."

Check out Zahabi's interview on the Blood Brothers podcast below:

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Firas Zahabi feels Khamzat Chimaev will inevitably become UFC world champion down the line

Firas Zahabi has no doubt in his mind that Khamzat Chimaev will one day become a world champion in the UFC. Zahabi said he's met 'Borz' previously and recalls immediately noticing that there's "something great" about the Russian-born Swede.

Zahabi also claims that Chimaev came across as a very gentle and sweet human being and says he'd like to see him achieve success in the UFC:

"I've met him yes actually he's quite a towering figure. I imagined he's 6'4 but when I looked at him, I was like Masha'Allah, Masha'Allah, [there's] something great about him and he was very nice to me, very gentle, very sweet and I think he's inevitably going to be world champion inshallah."

Chimaev is scheduled to take on former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns in the upcoming UFC 273 pay-per-view on April 9. 'Borz' is currently 4-0 in the UFC and has picked up three first-round finishes.