Ahead of UFC Freedom 250 at the White House this Sunday, Firas Zahabi, Head Coach at Tristar Gym, and Aiemann Zahabi, talk through how they think about preparation at the elite level. The through-line is a philosophy Firas articulates simply: data is king. Sparring is data. Watching an athlete on the bag is data. Hormonal balance is data. And that assessment, is ongoing, daily, and never stops even after the pre-camp.
For Aiemann, that philosophy is personal. How his body responds to training load, how his recovery looks, what his physical attributes make possible, all of it shapes how Firas coaches him individually. It’s a candid look at what “leaving no stone unturned” actually means inside a serious fight camp.
Video below:
Firas – “Training is really stress plus recovery equals adaptation. You need that recovery.
There are levels to recovery you know. So, if you stayed up all night, you’re going to see your hormones out of balance. You didn’t recover. Training the next day is not feasible. You have to recover. You have to be refreshed. So that’s why we keep measurements on everything.”
Aiemann – “My character influences how I make decisions. And then my physicality, my physical attributes decide what I can do physically. So, my options are not even the same as your options. So, that’s one thing that’s good about Firas. He’s very flexible with mine and he can cater to the different guys and how they can be great.”
Firas – “Data is king.
“Like sparring is data.
“When I see the athlete hitting the bag, that’s data.
“How explosive is he?
“How many rounds are we at?
“All data is super important. Why?
“Because that’s part of the assessment.
“Assessment is done daily.
“It’s done monthly.
“It’s done yearly.
“It’s always being done.
“The assessment is always being done. Over and over again.”