Tag: Firas Zahabi

Le Secret Plan: Former Manager Says GSP Wants Diaz, Hendricks, and Silva Before Retiring


(After defeating Silva by a shocking first round KO, Rush will remove his mask to reveal that HE WAS KEYSER SOZE THE ENTIRE TIME. Photo courtesy of Fighters.com)

Earlier this week, Georges St. Pierre’s former manager, Stephane Patry, wrote a column where he revealed the champion’s “secret plan” for ending his MMA career in three fights. We don’t read French (not because we can’t, just out of principle…’Merica!) so we relied on MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta to give us the details.

Patry wrote that on Jan. 11, while dining with St-Pierre and a few other friends at a restaurant in the city, the group discussed his fighting future. And during that time, according to Patry, St-Pierre discussed a “detailed” and “intelligent” plan that would take him possibly to the end of his career.

It would consist of only three fights: his Saturday night UFC 158 bout against Nick Diaz, one more title defense against Johny Hendricks, and then, the long-awaited super fight with middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Chiappetta followed up with St. Pierre and his head trainer, Firas Zahabi, but both of their memories seemed to be fuzzy about that night, so many, many months…well, a month ago, basically. “I don’t know,” Georges told Chiappetta, “I don’t know. I don’t remember saying anything like this. I don’t think so. I’m focusing on Nick Diaz right now.”

How convenient, Georges. I’m not calling you a liar, I’d just like to know WHERE YOU KEEP THE MISSILE CODES, SECRET AGENT MAN.


(After defeating Silva by a shocking first round KO, Rush will remove his mask to reveal that HE WAS KEYSER SOZE THE ENTIRE TIME. Photo courtesy of Fighters.com)

Earlier this week, Georges St. Pierre’s former manager, Stephane Patry, wrote a column where he revealed the champion’s “secret plan” for ending his MMA career in three fights. We don’t read French (not because we can’t, just out of principle…’Merica!) so we relied on MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta to give us the details.

Patry wrote that on Jan. 11, while dining with St-Pierre and a few other friends at a restaurant in the city, the group discussed his fighting future. And during that time, according to Patry, St-Pierre discussed a “detailed” and “intelligent” plan that would take him possibly to the end of his career.

It would consist of only three fights: his Saturday night UFC 158 bout against Nick Diaz, one more title defense against Johny Hendricks, and then, the long-awaited super fight with middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

Chiappetta followed up with St. Pierre and his head trainer, Firas Zahabi, but both of their memories seemed to be fuzzy about that night, so many, many months…well, a month ago, basically. ”I don’t know,” Georges told Chiappetta, “I don’t know. I don’t remember saying anything like this. I don’t think so. I’m focusing on Nick Diaz right now.”

How convenient, Georges. I’m not calling you a liar, I’d just like to know WHERE YOU KEEP THE MISSILE CODES, SECRET AGENT MAN.

Zahabi also demurred, saying, “I don’t think Georges probably said that in that way, the way it was written. I read the article. It was very strong. I don’t think Georges thinks that far ahead, honestly. He would not overlook Diaz.”

Buuuut, Zahabi went on to say that if St. Pierre did manage to pull off that trifecta in his next three fights, that would be totally badass and he’d tell the champ that he should retire, having nothing left to prove. Not like he and Georges are thinking of anything like that, of course:

I think if that happened, if Georges beat [Diaz and] Hendricks and Silva, I’d tell him, ‘Retire. It’s over. There’s nothing else to do. There’s no bigger fight. Just retire. Enjoy your life.’ Ideally, the Silva fight is the last fight of his career, win or lose.

What do you think, Nation? Is Georges looking past Diaz like he did against Matt Serra back in 2007, or is his mind simply capable of walking and chewing gum at the same time, so to speak?

All of these questions will finally be answered Saturday night. You’ll probably want to spend the evening with the rest of us degenerates, drinking heavily, throwing stockton heybuddies at will, and getting all the play-by-play action and analysis through our live blog, which goes live at 10:00 PM EST.

– Elias Cepeda

Friday Link Dump: Frank Mir Says He’s Ready for Cormier, Bones Talks Heavyweight Move, The Glorious Return of Michelle Jenneke + More

(If the name “Michelle Jenneke” means anything to you, this will be your favorite video of the week. / Props: TheChive)

– Frank Mir Healthy, Ready To Challenge Daniel Cormier (Fightline)

– Unlike Mike Ricci, Colton Smith Views ‘TUF’ Experience as a Positive (MMAFighting)

– Firas Zahabi: Rory MacDonald Was Not Showboating Against BJ Penn (Sherdog)

– Jon Jones Talks About Move To Heavyweight Division (FightDay)

– Dan Hardy Interested in Fight With Matt Brown, Dismissive of Matt Riddle (BloodyElbow)

– UFC on FX 6: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson Weigh-In Results (MMAConvert)

– 16 MMA Ring Girls So Hot It Hurts (MadeMan)

– The Most Intense Feuds in Mixed Martial Arts [VIDEO] (BleacherReport)

– Maiquel Falcao meets Alexander Shlemenko for Middleweight Title at Bellator 88 (MMAJunkie)

– 13 Celebrities Who Fight Fat with Martial Arts (MensFitness)

– The 50 Greatest Movie Laughs of All Time (WorldWideInterweb)

– The 25 Worst Reality TV Stars of 2012 (Complex)

– Hollywood Superman Reviews the ‘Man of Steel’ Trailer [VIDEO] (ScreenJunkies)


(If the name “Michelle Jenneke” means anything to you, this will be your favorite video of the week. / Props: TheChive)

– Frank Mir Healthy, Ready To Challenge Daniel Cormier (Fightline)

– Unlike Mike Ricci, Colton Smith Views ‘TUF’ Experience as a Positive (MMAFighting)

– Firas Zahabi: Rory MacDonald Was Not Showboating Against BJ Penn (Sherdog)

– Jon Jones Talks About Move To Heavyweight Division (FightDay)

– Dan Hardy Interested in Fight With Matt Brown, Dismissive of Matt Riddle (BloodyElbow)

– UFC on FX 6: Sotiropoulos vs. Pearson Weigh-In Results (MMAConvert)

– 16 MMA Ring Girls So Hot It Hurts (MadeMan)

– The Most Intense Feuds in Mixed Martial Arts [VIDEO] (BleacherReport)

– Maiquel Falcao meets Alexander Shlemenko for Middleweight Title at Bellator 88 (MMAJunkie)

– 13 Celebrities Who Fight Fat with Martial Arts (MensFitness)

– The 50 Greatest Movie Laughs of All Time (WorldWideInterweb)

– The 25 Worst Reality TV Stars of 2012 (Complex)

– Hollywood Superman Reviews the ‘Man of Steel’ Trailer [VIDEO] (ScreenJunkies)

Miguel Torres Leaves Home to Train Like a Pro for UFC 139

Filed under: UFCMiguel Torres became the bantamweight champion of the world while eschewing big training camps with well-known MMA gyms to stay home and train at his own gym in Indiana. But Torres has now lost three of his last five fights, and as he p…

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Miguel Torres became the bantamweight champion of the world while eschewing big training camps with well-known MMA gyms to stay home and train at his own gym in Indiana. But Torres has now lost three of his last five fights, and as he prepares to take on Nick Pace at UFC 139 on Saturday, he says it’s past time for his buddies back home to understand that he needs to go elsewhere to get better.

Torres posted a heartfelt message on Facebook saying that he was bothered by the attitudes of some of the people at his gym back home in Indiana, and that he couldn’t allow himself to be held back by people who don’t understand the sacrifices a fighter has to make to be a world champion. And in an appearance on The MMA Hour, Torres said that training with Firas Zihabi at Tri Star Gym in Montreal — rather than at his own gym — has been essential to his efforts to regain the bantamweight title.

“These are guys who don’t understand what it takes to achieve at the highest level of the sport — they don’t understand what it takes,” Torres said of certain elements holding him back at home. “They’re stuck in the little world that they live in. They don’t see the big picture.”


In his Facebook message, Torres had harsh words for some of his old friends, training partners and students who don’t understand that he couldn’t allow himself to grow complacent if he wants to be the best. He expanded on those comments on The MMA Hour.

“They want me to stay in my gym in Hammond,” Torres said. “It doesn’t work that way. For me to get better I have to train with better guys, that are ahead of the game, and seek better training partners.”

Dealing with some of his local buddies has been difficult because they haven’t been supportive, and Torres even said he was “robbed” by a former manager, although he declined to go into details.

“I’m not going to go out there and say anything. I have some issues with a couple guys that owe me some money, and that kind of held me back for a little bit, too,” Torres said. “I’m not trying to carry that burden anymore. It’s too much.”

Torres says that while he has left some old friends behind in Indiana, Zihabi has turned his career around by teaching him to strategize and fight under control.

“My trainer and personal friend Firas Zihabi has controlled me,” Torres said. “There’s other ways to win a fight where you’re not going to get your hand broken or your brain smashed in or your face scarred up. … I’ve been training extremely hard. My mind is in a good place.”

And having his mind in the right place is all about focusing on winning, starting on Saturday against Pace. Torres said he believes that through it all, he’s going to get the bantamweight title back.

“You’re going to see me fighting for the title,” Torres said. “One hundred percent.”

 

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The MMA Hour With Gilbert Melendez, Nam Phan, Firas Zahabi, Zach Makovsky

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The MMA Hour is back in your life on Monday for our 103rd episode. Here’s who will be stopping by.

* Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will talk about where he will be fighting next and his thoughts on Frankie Edgar’s win at UFC 136.

* Nam Phan will discuss his win over Leonard Garcia on Saturday night and what’s next for him.

* Tristar trainer Firas Zahabi will discuss Kenny Florian‘s loss to Jose Aldo, Georges St-Pierre‘s title defense against Carlos Condit and his involvement with the Martial Arts for Heart charity.

* Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky will stop by the studio to talk about his Bellator 54 non-title fight against Ryan Roberts. He’ll also do a couple of T-shirt giveaways from his sponsor, Yoked Up apparel.

* And MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiapetta will look at all the storylines coming out of UFC 136.

Of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193, 212-254-0237 or 212-254-0714.

*** You can also stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.

Watch the replay below. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.

 

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The MMA Hour is back in your life on Monday for our 103rd episode. Here’s who will be stopping by.

* Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will talk about where he will be fighting next and his thoughts on Frankie Edgar’s win at UFC 136.

* Nam Phan will discuss his win over Leonard Garcia on Saturday night and what’s next for him.

* Tristar trainer Firas Zahabi will discuss Kenny Florian‘s loss to Jose Aldo, Georges St-Pierre‘s title defense against Carlos Condit and his involvement with the Martial Arts for Heart charity.

* Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky will stop by the studio to talk about his Bellator 54 non-title fight against Ryan Roberts. He’ll also do a couple of T-shirt giveaways from his sponsor, Yoked Up apparel.

* And MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiapetta will look at all the storylines coming out of UFC 136.

Of course, we’ll be taking your calls. Give us a shout at: 212-254-0193, 212-254-0237 or 212-254-0714.

*** You can also stream the show live on your iPhone or iPad by clicking here.

Watch the replay below. Subscribe to The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here. Download previous episodes here. Listen to the show via Stitcher here.

 

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Firas Zahabi Talks Torres vs. Johnson, Possible GSP vs. Diaz Fight

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LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to trainer Firas Zahabi on Thursday about the Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson fight at UFC 130 and Torres evolution as a fighter since joining Tristar. Zahabi also talked about the possibility of seeing Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz in the near future.

Check out the interview after the jump.

 

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LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to trainer Firas Zahabi on Thursday about the Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson fight at UFC 130 and Torres evolution as a fighter since joining Tristar. Zahabi also talked about the possibility of seeing Georges St-Pierre vs. Nick Diaz in the near future.

Check out the interview after the jump.

 

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Miguel Torres in Rhythm With Firas Zahabi Ahead of UFC 130

Filed under: UFCWatching Firas Zahabi talk to reporter after reporter in Toronto last month, one almost got the feeling that he might be getting tired of answering questions about Georges St-Pierre.

So why not cut one of the most prominent trainers i…

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Watching Firas Zahabi talk to reporter after reporter in Toronto last month, one almost got the feeling that he might be getting tired of answering questions about Georges St-Pierre.

So why not cut one of the most prominent trainers in the sport some slack, let him get his mind off his welterweight champ for a few minutes?

“Oh – you want me to talk (crap) about Miguel?” Zahabi asks, a smile on his face. “I can do that!”

Zahabi is most famous for the work he does at his Tristar Gym in Montreal with St-Pierre, the UFC welterweight champ, and ahead of GSP’s UFC 129 title defense in Toronto against Jake Shields, there were plenty of questions for the coach. But in the last 10 months, Zahabi has taken on a new challenge – revamping the fight game of former bantamweight kingpin Miguel Torres.

And so far, business has been good. Zahabi has helped Torres (39-3, 1-0 UFC) to back-to-back wins after he lost his WEC 135-pound title to Brian Bowles in August 2009, his first career knockout loss, and followed that up by tapping for the first time in a bloody loss to Joseph Benavidez. In fact, Zahabi believes that for Torres, the best is yet to come.

“I still think he’s got a lot of potential left, and it’s going to take some time to reach that,” Zahabi said. “But I don’t think he’s anywhere near where he’s going to be in the future.”

But Torres, who mostly self-trained at his own gym in Northwest Indiana until taking up with Zahabi last fall, gives a slightly different account of what his coach tells him in the gym.

“He hasn’t told me anything like that,” Torres said Wednesday. “Everything he tells me is pretty much negative – and that I’m garbage – so I can get better. But I feel like I’m getting better every day. When I came here, I saw what I was lacking in my game. I knew how much more I could pick up and how much better I could become.”

After a submission win over Charlie Valencia at WEC 51 last September and a unanimous decision over Antonio Banuelos in his UFC debut at UFC 126 in February, Torres was given Brad Pickett for UFC 130 next week. But five weeks before the fight, Pickett pulled out with an injury.

Pickett’s replacement, Demetrious Johnson (9-1, 1-0 UFC), raised a few eyebrows. Torres’ Achille’s heel has always been his wrestling. And “Mighty Mouse”? He was a standout high school wrestler in Washington and is coming off a dominating 10-takedown performance to beat Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto in February. But Torres’ wrestling is what he has worked on at length since his last loss.

“When I fought Benavidez, I had no wrestling skills whatsoever,” Torres said. “Now it’s been a year, and all I’ve been doing is wrestling. Every training camp involves wrestling. Every fight I go into involves wrestling. I’m very confident in my ability to stop takedowns and use counter-shots to take people down.”

Zahabi also makes no bones about Torres’ wrestling – but concurs with his student that overlooking his ability in that part of his game might be a mistake.

“It’s definitely his wrestling – I’ll admit to that. I have no problem – I like to say the truth,” Zahabi said. “But I’ll tell you one thing: He’s working very hard on that, and he’s not going to be easy to take down. He’s going to be even more difficult to hold down, and it’s going to be very hard to stop his submissions. So I’m confident for this fight.”

And so confident are Torres and Zahabi that they say Torres’ height and reach advantage – he’s 5-foot-9 vs. Johnson’s 5-3 – will force Johnson to shoot. And bring it on.

“Johnson shooting on me is the game plan,” Torres said. “I want the guy to try to shoot on me. My whole strength is developed to hit guys – to force them to have to shoot. They can’t touch me, they can’t strike with me – the longer we stand, the more I win. The longer we stand, the more he has to shoot to win the round. So as he shoots, as he comes in to try and touch me, he’s either going to get hit or he’s going to get sprawled out. Once he gets sprawled out, he’s going to give up his back or his neck. So for me, Demetrious shooting, him engaging me in a shot is going to result in me being able to use my full offense that has developed in the past year with Firas.”

And the past year, Zahabi has seen Torres grow from an almost reckless fighter, doing it all on his own, to the kind who can admit his shortcomings and allow himself to be called “garbage” by his coach. (Even if that’s a slight Torres exaggeration.)

“I’m very happy with Miguel,” Zahabi said. “He’s taken some serious steps to move himself forward. It takes somebody who is very proactive, somebody who is very responsible to do that.”

Torres and Johnson fight on the preliminary card of UFC 130 on May 28 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The fight will be part of the Spike TV’s live prelims broadcast, which starts at 8 p.m. Eastern ahead of the pay-per-view at 9 p.m.

 

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