Firas Zahabi has addressed a recent altercation that drew attention within the Canadian MMA community, explaining that the incident was not caused by his trainee’s result inside the cage.
During a Tristar Gym broadcast, Zahabi responded to a viewer who asked why he had confronted another athlete. The veteran coach said the dispute was connected to an ongoing personal issue with a figure he accused of repeatedly insulting people in the local MMA scene.
“There’s one little group, they’re always like antagonizing and insulting everybody,” Zahabi said. “He insulted me. So, I told him, ‘Look, you want to insult me, insult me to my face right now.’”
According to Zahabi, he asked the individual to step outside to settle the matter privately. He claimed the man instead returned to his corner and called for assistance. Zahabi emphasized that the confrontation was separate from the official result and that he had deliberately waited until the bout was over before raising the issue.
“I wanted to wait till the match is over so that way we can handle our issue separately,” Zahabi explained. “And he didn’t want to handle his issue.”
The coach also addressed his conduct around competition, saying he typically maintains respect for opposing corners regardless of the outcome. Zahabi has spent decades coaching athletes from amateur contests through professional bouts and championship events, and he acknowledged that his reaction did not reflect the standards he normally follows.
“I always show respect to the corner no matter what, win, lose, draw. Always respect, love, kindness. We appreciate each other,” he said.
Zahabi admitted that confronting the individual publicly was a mistake and accepted responsibility for allowing the dispute to become part of the event.
“My mistake was I should have done it in the back room. Shouldn’t have done it on TV. I wasn’t thinking,” he said. “So, I apologize to the fans for interrupting the evening, and the show, and the promoters, but I should have taken care of it in the back room. And next time, I’ll be wiser.”
While Zahabi remained critical of the person involved, he said he did not want to give the dispute additional attention. His explanation made clear that the incident stemmed from a personal confrontation, rather than anger over his trainee being submitted.
