Firas Zahabi isn’t a fan of hearing calls for COVID-19 vaccinations.
Joe Rogan made the headlines this week after revealing he had tested positive for COVID-19. What made it more newsworthy was his “heartfelt thank you” to monoclonal antibody therapy and the controversial and non-FDA-approved drug ivermectin, which he claimed was responsible for his speedy recovery.
A few doctors have already expressed disapproval about Rogan’s statements and self-medication. But others lambasted the long-time UFC analyst for it, which Firas Zahabi didn’t appreciate.
In a recent video he uploaded on his YouTube channel which has now been taken down, the Tristar Gym head coach went after the said individual. He also expressed concerns about the vaccines, while admitting to getting the jab himself.
Just because you are an expert in A field it does not make you an expert in ALL fields. It blows my mind that people who study “MIXED” martial arts can’t understand that. Here’s Firas Zahabi on the covid vaccines: pic.twitter.com/trsD3EXoDa
— The Sound of Violence (@TSOVpod) September 3, 2021
Joe Rogan made a statement that I completely agree with. If you’re young and healthy, and fit, maybe you should think twice before getting the shot. Before you put something foreign in your body that you don’t know what it is. And these men are telling you that it’s good for you, but they also have an incentive.
Whenever there’s money on the table, guys, I’m not the most trusting person. These people are becoming rich. A lot of people have incentives. Pfizer’s already — I believe I saw in the news recently — $11 billion. They’ve made $11 billion on the shot.
That doesn’t disprove that the shot work, it just shows there’s an incentive. Nobody here distrusts science. Not Joe Rogan, not me, none of us who are rejecting the shot… which by the way, guys, I’ve taken the shot.
People who don’t want the shot are not people who deny science. This knucklehead here, this guy trying to ram his opinion down our throat, which I highly, highly dislike. His attitude, his demeanor, he insulted Joe Rogan calling him dumb or whatnot, stupidity… Who the hell are you?
Despite several experts and doctors already disproving it, Zahabi has pushed the same argument Rogan made about “healthy” people not needing a vaccine.
There have also been several examples of fit combat sports athletes having a particularly rough stint with COVID-19. BKFC champ Luis Palomino also thought he didn’t need the vaccine because he went five years without being sick, kept fit, and took care of his body well. He changed his mind after he was hospitalized and dealt with very harsh symptoms, including swollen organs. In the UFC, Khamzat Chimaev had long haul symptoms and lung issues for months that made him think he was going to die. Former UFC champ Cody Garbrandt had blood clots, pneumonia and brain fog months after technically being “COVID-free.”
The MMA world isn’t a stranger to vaccine hesitance and conspiracy theories. As one of the many recent examples, UFC contender Michael Chandler recently refused to get inoculated, despite initially saying he was only waiting for it to be FDA approved. Nonetheless, the UFC seemed to have found a way to push through with his scheduled UFC 268 bout with Justin Gaethje, even with the vaccine mandates in New York City.