Aiemann Zahabi has not entered the octagon since last November when he defeated Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 246 to extend his winning streak to five. The No.15-ranked bantamweight is set to make his return at UFC 315 this weekend against Jose Aldo in the most high-profile bout of his mixed martial arts career.
Zahabi trains out of Tristar Gym, where his older brother, Firas Zahabi, is the owner and head trainer. Take a look below at the accomplishments of the elder Zahabi brother, who has trained some notable UFC champions.
Who is Aiemann Zahabi's brother, Firas Zahabi?
Aiemann Zahabi will have his older brother, Firas Zahabi, in his corner this weekend as he looks to climb the bantamweight rankings by defeating UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo. The elder Zahabi is considered one of the greatest mixed martial arts coaches of all time.
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While Firas did not compete in MMA at a professional level, he did have an amateur career. He gained notoriety as a coach, however, when he met Georges St-Pierre when both were amateur fighters and began training him. While he was in 'GSP's' corner previously, it wasn't until after the welterweight champion lost his belt to Matt Serra via second-round knockout at UFC 69 in 2007 that Zahabi became his main coach.
St-Pierre won 13 consecutive bouts after deciding to make Zahabi his head trainer. During that stretch, he was able to work his way back into the title picture, avenge his loss to Serra and defend the welterweight title a record nine times. He vacated the title and retired in 2013, however, 'GSP' returned four years later, defeating Michael Bisping via third-round submission to claim the middleweight title.
While the UFC Hall of Famer is Zahabi's most notable student, he has also trained many other notable fighters. His list of students includes former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, former light heavyweight champion Vitor Belfort, former Bellator welterweight champion and UFC welterweight title challenger Rory MacDonald, former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, and former featherweight and lightweight title challenger Kenny Florian.
While most of those names have since retired from mixed martial arts, Zahabi remains active as he trains No.6-ranked featherweight Arnold Allen and lightweight contender Nasrat Haqparast in addition to his younger brother, Aiemann Zahabi. The elder Zahabi, who is Muslim, has faced criticism in the past for his refusal to train women in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, citing his faith.