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UFC 315: Aiemann Zahabi media day interview
UFC 315 fighter Aiemann Zahabi spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his featured bout vs. Jose Aldo on Saturday in Montreal.
MONTREAL – Aiemann Zahabi sought help from a UFC Hall of Famer to prep for Jose Aldo.
Zahabi (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) takes on ex-champ Aldo (32-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) in a bantamweight bout on Saturday’s UFC 315 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main card at Bell Centre in Montreal.
In his corner will be former UFC double champ Georges St-Pierre, who has sold out arenas and conquered the welterweight division for years. As Zahabi faces his biggest-career moment, St-Pierre gave him some sage advice.
“He just told me not to over-respect him,” Zahabi told MMA Junkie and other reporters during Wednesday’s media day. “He said he did that mistake against Matt Hughes the first time around, and a lot of guys do it when they fight legends, so make sure not to over-respect him. He’s just another guy, nothing special. Not to disrespect his career, but he’s a human being is what I mean. Georges is great, he’s a mensch.”
With Aldo fighting rising bantamweights Jonathan Martinez and Mario Bautista in his past two fights, Zahabi explained why it’s a logical matchup – despite the backlash.
“My name is starting to get momentum, but not near as big as his,” Zahabi said. “He’s an eight-time world champion, he’s defended the belt so many times, but it’s a nice surprise and I feel like I earned it with my win streak. The UFC is very merit based in a lot of ways. Since he came back, he hasn’t won all of his fights.
“And so he’s slid a little bit, and I was No. 13 when they announced the fight, and he was 10 or 11. We’re close to each other, so it kind of makes sense and it is what it is. I know some people don’t like the fight. My friends love the fight, my family love the fight. So, to me, that’s what matters most.”
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