Tag: Firas Zahabi

Trainer Firas Zahabi Considering Moving Yves Jabouin Down to Bantamweight

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsYves Jabouin’s days of fighting at 145 pounds may soon be coming to an end.

Following Jabouin’s third loss in his last four fights at UFC 129, his head trainer Firas Zahabi said on Monday’s episode of The MMA …

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Yves Jabouin‘s days of fighting at 145 pounds may soon be coming to an end.

Following Jabouin’s third loss in his last four fights at UFC 129, his head trainer Firas Zahabi said on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour that it could be time for the exciting featherweight to consider moving down a weight class.

“I’m going to consider dropping him to 135,” Zahabi said. “That’s something I’ve talked to him about, and he could make 135 easily, I believe. He just doesn’t like cutting weight.

“You could see the great size difference between him and his opponent, and I’m a big believer in not giving away any advantages. I felt he gave away the size advantage, that’s why Garza was able to get some knees in and I think Yves’ striking is far beyond his opponent Pablo Garza. Garza is more of a jiu-jitsu specialist, but he is bigger and taller and had a weight advantage, so he was able to work his game.

“But I really believe Yves also has to go more to the drawing board and work more on jiu-jitsu and make some extra time for his jiu-jitsu.”

The MMA Hour With Velasquez, Fitch, Hominick, Zahabi, Couture

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosThe MMA Hour returns on Monday with another star-studded lineup.

* UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will stop by to update everyone on his health.

* Welterweight contender Jon Fitch will…

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Cain Velasquez defeats Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 to win the UFC heavyweight title.The MMA Hour returns on Monday with another star-studded lineup.

* UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez will stop by to update everyone on his health.

* Welterweight contender Jon Fitch will also do the same after suffering a shoulder injury.

* Mark Hominick will talk about his thrilling fight against Jose Aldo and how he’s feeling physically.

* Trainer Firas Zahabi will look back at GSP vs. Shields and update us on GSP’s eye injury.

* Strikeforce lightweight Ryan Couture will discuss his future plans.

* Matt Mitrione will grace us with his presence for his popular “Mitrione Minute” segment and we will look back at Saturday’s UFC 129 event with MMA Fighting’s Matt Erickson.

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

Watch the show live below beginning at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT. Download previous episodes of The MMA Hour on iTunes: audio feed here; video feed here.

Haunted by First Defeat, Rory MacDonald Looks to Rebound at UFC 129

Filed under: UFCIt’s been ten months since UFC welterweight Rory MacDonald (10-1) lost a heartbreaker of a fight to Carlos Condit at UFC 115, and he’s finally put it behind him.

Well, mostly. Sort of.

That is to say, he’s put it behind as much as a…

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It’s been ten months since UFC welterweight Rory MacDonald (10-1) lost a heartbreaker of a fight to Carlos Condit at UFC 115, and he’s finally put it behind him.

Well, mostly. Sort of.

That is to say, he’s put it behind as much as any fighter can after being stopped in the final ten seconds of a fight he was winning on the scorecards. Had he lasted just seven seconds longer, MacDonald would likely have won a split decision victory. Instead, he went home with his first loss, and he’s been feeling the sting of it ever since.

“It was difficult,” said the 21-year-old MacDonald. “It was really hard to deal with, but I think I’ve dealt with most of it by now. I still think I need to get in there again and win this fight [against Nate Diaz at UFC 129] to really get over it, and maybe one day I need to get a rematch with Carlos to fully get over it. I don’t know.”

GSP’s Trainer Talks UFC 129 Title Fight: ‘One Guy Is Going to Break’

Filed under: UFC, NewsWhen it comes to the big fights, it helps to have been there before. That’s true not only in the cage, but also in the gym. As UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and challenger Jake Shields prepare to face off at UFC 129…

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When it comes to the big fights, it helps to have been there before. That’s true not only in the cage, but also in the gym. As UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre and challenger Jake Shields prepare to face off at UFC 129 on April 30, they have to balance their training with seemingly endless media responsibilities and the ubiquitous presence of the UFC Primetime cameras in their gyms.

It might not sound like much of a factor in fight preparation, but according to St. Pierre’s trainer, Firas Zahabi, experience in the media spotlight counts for a lot in a UFC title fight.

“I can tell you, the first time we had Primetime around it was a lot harder. It was just more stress,” Zahabi told MMA Fighting. “Now, it’s the third time we’ve had them around, and we’ve had the Countdown so many times, just various other camera crews in our gym so many times, we’re accustomed to it. Now it doesn’t bother our training camp at all.”

The MMA Hour With Toney, Harris, Zahabi, Struve and Pickett

Filed under: MMA Videos, UFC, WEC, FanHouse Exclusive, VideosAnother Monday, another live edition of The MMA Hour. Here’s who we have on deck for this episode:

* James Toney will stop by to discuss his desire to fight “Rampage” Jackson and his future …

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Gerald HarrisAnother Monday, another live edition of The MMA Hour. Here’s who we have on deck for this episode:

* James Toney will stop by to discuss his desire to fight “Rampage” Jackson and his future fighting plans.

* Recently released UFC middleweight Gerald Harris will discuss what’s next for him.

* Georges St-Pierre’s head trainer, Firas Zahabi, will discuss GSP’s win on Saturday night and what’s next for the 170-pound champion.

* Heavyweight Stefan Struve will look back on his big win over Sean McCorkle.

* Brad Pickett will talk about his upcoming fight aginst Ivan Menjivar at WEC 53.

* UFC heavyweight Matt Mitrione will debut his new weekly segment: “The Mitrione Minute.”

* And MMA Fighting’s Mike Chiappetta will stop by to look back at UFC 124 and ahead to WEC 53.

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

Watch the show live below beginning at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT. Download previous episodes of The MMA Hour on iTunes here.

Firas Zahabi: GSP Already Back in Training, Should Face Jake Shields Next

Filed under: UFCDespite going five full rounds in another successful title defense at UFC 124 on Saturday night, UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre isn’t taking time off to savor the win. According to head trainer Firas Zahabi, St. Pierre is in …

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Despite going five full rounds in another successful title defense at UFC 124 on Saturday night, UFC welterweight champ Georges St. Pierre isn’t taking time off to savor the win. According to head trainer Firas Zahabi, St. Pierre is in New York this week to continue his training just days after defeating Josh Koscheck via unanimous decision in Montreal.

“We love the sport, we love what we do. Georges loves the sport. It’s on our mind 24 hours a day,” Zahabi explained to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour.

“This is a vacation for him. This is a pleasure. It’s not going to be training like we’re training for a fight. It’s not close to a fight, so training’s going to be more pleasurable and more cerebral, maybe a little less physical since his body does need to rest. But it’s still going to be physical and it’s true enjoyment.”