Aiemann Zahabi is making his charge up through the bantamweight rankings. His last win saw him get that number next to his name and he hasn’t looked back. However, at 37-years old, it’s hard to necessarily call him a prospect. Still, he think he’s got quite a few of the traits that a prospect does.
“I like the idea that I still feel like I’m rising. Actually, I just, I just finished with practice yesterday with Firas and I’m like, ‘man, I’ve gotten so much better in this camp just for this fight,” Zahabi explained. “He’s like, you’re still improving. I’m like, man, I still feel 27.”
Some of his ability to keep improving, even at his age, is due to how his body is holding up. While he’s been in the game for a minute, he doesn’t have the miles that some of his contemporaries have. As a result, he feels he can push himself harder.
“I’m not getting old in that sense where I’m like my body’s aching every day and I’m not improving. I’m still gaining every day,” he said. “I’m still getting better every time, every day passes, every month that passes – I’m improving. And I still feel kind of like a young buck. That’s why I feel like there’s no pressure on me on this fight.”
Although health and recovery is a big piece of things, he attributes something else for his consistent growth.
“The passion comes from the gratitude. I absolutely love my life and I can’t believe I’m a professional fighter. Even at 37, I’m living the dream and it pays for my life,” Zahabi explained. “I get to take my family on vacations, have a nice house and we have the things that we need. I’m grateful to be able to provide the life I want, doing what I love.”
But it isn’t just his love for the sport that he gives credit to. There is one very important part of his life that has helped to keep him in the right place to take that next step.
“Secondly, what keeps me on the cutting edge is my brother [Firas Zahabi], for sure. For us, ever since we were young, he’s always been looking to stay on the cutting edge of everything,” he said. “So we’re always at TriStar, always bringing in the best of the best and the different disciplines.”
We’ll get our next chance to see the fruits of his labors with Firas at UFC 315. He takes on Jose Aldo on the pay-per-view portion of the card. That portion of the card takes place at 10pm EST.
You can catch the entire audio of this interview on the most recent edition of the Top Turtle MMA Podcast. The interview airs at 1:53.
