“Whipped Cream” – Legendary UFC Coach Details the Mental Side of Training Champions
Iconic UFC coach Firas Zahabi believes every fighter who walks into his gym should be treated differently.
Owner and head coach of Tristar Gym in Canada, Zahabi is best known for training former UFC champions like Georges St-Pierre, Robert Whittaker, and Vitor Belfort.
During a recent Q&A on the gym’s official YouTube channel, Zahabi was asked about the mental aspect of training and how he handles individual fighters based on their background.
“I love what John Wooden said,” Zahabi said. “If you come from a hard life, I’m more positive with you, because your life was hard. If somebody gives you whipped cream, you’re going to be like, ‘Whoa, man, I love whipped cream, I need whipped cream, I’m desperate for whipped cream.’ It’s going to get a response out of you. But if your whole life is whipped cream and I put more whipped cream in your bowl, you’re like, ‘That’s just another voice I’ve heard a million times. I don’t even hear you.’
“But if I put vinegar in your whipped cream… I’ve had guys who are born in privilege, and when I discipline them—‘Hey, no, you can’t cut corners in practice, you can’t just do that in practice. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, you have to obey the rules of the practice room, or you have to take the door’—they’re not used to being talked to like that.
“They’re like, ‘These guys don’t bow down to me because I have money, or because of my last name. They’re talking to me like I’m everybody else.’ They secretly thirst for that. They secretly want to know what it’s like to have a real friend, a real challenge, a real authentic experience.”
“I think John Wooden was the wisest,” Zahabi continued. “It really depends on the individual. Some guys need to be encouraged, and some guys need to be told, ‘Hey, this is a harder fight than you think. I really think we should put extra rounds in, we should do extra work, because this guy is going to be a difficult challenge.’ If I think he’s overconfident, I warn him over and over again: ‘It’s going to be harder than you think, these are the challenges we’re going to face, and we have to get serious about it.’“And if I think the fighter is underestimating himself, I’ll remind him how good he is. I’ll tell him personally, ‘No, I don’t think he can do this to you. You’re way too trained, you have too much experience in this area.’ It’s not always about just pumping up your fighter. I don’t think that’s wise. I’ve seen it backfire, I’ve seen it backfire publicly.”
Aside from his accolades as a coach, Zahabi also earned his BJJ black belt from John Danaher, founder of New Wave Jiu Jitsu and the legendary Danaher Death Squad.
