Firas Zahabi watched Khamzat Chimaev lose the UFC middleweight title at UFC 328 and immediately went public with an offer to help, delivering a direct plea on his YouTube channel for Chimaev to bring his career to Tristar Gym in Montreal.
Zahabi, who guided Georges St-Pierre through the peak of one of the greatest careers in MMA history, was direct about what he believes he can offer.
“I’m begging you, somebody get this out there. Khamzat, come train with me. Come to Montreal, come train with me. I promise you, if you come train with me, you’re not going to fade. I promise you. Come and train with me. Bring Arman Tsarukyan. Khamzat Chimaev, Arman Tsarukyan, come train with me. Come see how we prepare to make sure that your fitness level will be better than ever, your striking will be sweeter than ever, and your footwork will be sweeter than ever. I promise you. If Khamzat Chimaev, you come and train with me, this will never happen to you again.”
He also extended the invitation to include the possibility of working alongside St-Pierre himself.
“I really hope he gets this message. Please come train with me and Georges St-Pierre, and we will make sure that we do our absolute best to get your hand raised, no matter what the cost, what the energy expenditure, how many hours we have to do, we will focus on you getting your hand raised. So, if Khamzat Chimaev is listening, or anybody who knows him, get this message to him. Please let him know he’s more than welcome, and I would love to have him as soon as possible training at my facility.”
Chimaev’s conditioning appeared to deteriorate significantly after a dominant opening round against Strickland, with widespread speculation that a demanding weight cut from a heavier frame contributed to his struggles in the championship rounds. Dana White confirmed Chimaev approached him after the fight to say he wants to move to light heavyweight. Chimaev has since posted messages on social media suggesting a Strickland rematch remains on his mind.