May 10th marked a significant night for Aiemann Zahabi as he secured the most important victory of his career before a home crowd in Montreal.
Leading up to UFC 315, the pairing of Montreal`s Zahabi against Jose Aldo drew some criticism from fans, many of whom preferred to see the legendary Brazilian fighter compete against more highly ranked opponents.
This sentiment grew after the fight itself, where Zahabi defeated Aldo by controversial unanimous decision after a compelling contest.
Though they met inside the Octagon for the first time this past weekend at the Bell Center, this wasn’t the first time that the Canadian had spent time preparing for the former featherweight champion.
Zahabi was tasked with mimicking Aldo 14 years ago when his teammate, Kenny Florian, came up short against Aldo at UFC 136.
Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images
Kenny Florian Reacts to Zahabi`s Revenge Joke
When his fight with Jose Aldo was announced, Aiemann Zahabi recalled the time he spent impersonating the featherweight champion ahead of UFC 136.
Kenny Florian challenged the Brazilian for the 145-pound title in Houston, Texas, ultimately losing over five rounds in what would be the final fight of his career.
In his post-fight interview, Zahabi playfully suggested he had finally avenged his former teammate by getting his hand raised at UFC 315.
“Kenny Florian, I got him baby, okay. 14 years later, we did it. Okay, Kenny, I got you.”
On the latest episode of The Anik & Florian Podcast, UFC commentator Jon Anik shared his reaction to the clip, which he had missed.
“F— yeah Aiemann! Did you see that?! Was anyone gonna send me that as the president of team Florian? I’m just seeing that for the first time. My notes here, I thought it was Firas [Zahabi]. Dude, that is f—— amazing.”
Florian then spoke about his emotions seeing his former training partner secure the win, recognizing Zahabi`s valuable contribution during his UFC 136 preparations.
“It’s pretty amazing. Full disclosure, I have a long history with Aiemann. So, to see him win this fight against a guy that we started preparing for 14 years ago, in Montreal, where Aiemann was one of my main sparring partners, he was acting as Aldo, I brought him to Boston for a week or two.”
“He did every single workout that I did, he didn’t have to, he was just there for sparring and man, he was with me every single step of the way cuz that’s just the way he is. That’s how hard he worked in his early 20s.”
“Just amazing to see him fight a living legend like Jose Aldo and to win in the manner he did was extremely inspirational. Not surprised though.”
What`s Next for Aiemann Zahabi?
Following the latest rankings update, Aiemann Zahabi has moved up four spots after UFC 315, now holding the #11 position in the bantamweight division.
The Canadian called out Marlon Vera in his post-fight interview. While that matchup makes sense, `Chito` is already scheduled to face Mario Bautista next month.
Although the winner or loser of the Vera vs. Bautista fight could be a potential opponent, contenders like Rob Font or Henry Cejudo are also viable options.
Zahabi has quietly ascended the ranks with six consecutive wins, and despite the controversial scorecards, he delivered a commendable performance against Jose Aldo.
