Canadian bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi looks to keep climbing the UFC rankings

In a sport that features multiple attacks, Aiemann Zahabi’s most potent weapon may be his brain.

The 37-year-old bantamweight from Montreal, who has fought and thought his way to No. 9 in the UFC bantamweight rankings, faces another stiff test Saturday in No. 7 Marlon (Chito) Vera at a UFC Fight Night card in Vancouver.

Zahabi (13-2-0) has won six straight in the UFC, most recently dispatching UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo, who retired for a second time after losing by decision to Zahabi in May at UFC 315 in Montreal.

Former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre says Zahabi’s No. 1 attribute is his fighting IQ. Zahabi agrees.

“I’m not physically gifted with athleticism, so I like to use my mind to win the fight,” Zahabi said. “I like to find their weakness and exploit that. Fight to my strengths and fight to their weakness. It’s something Georges has been telling us for years to do and I really feel like I grasped that nugget from him.”

Vera (23-10-1) presents a challenge despite losing his last two outings and three of his last four outings, albeit against elite opposition. He has never been stopped, with all 10 losses by decision, and has been knocked down just once in 24 UFC fights.

The 32-year-old Vera, who is 15-9-0 since making his UFC debut in November 2014, lost a decision last time out to former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in August 2024.

Before that he lasted five rounds in a title bout with then-bantamweight champion (Suga) Sean O’Malley at UFC 299 in March 2024. Outstruck 230-89 in significant strikes, Vera still managed to hurt O’Malley with a wicked body punch in the final seconds of the fifth round, causing the champion to slump at the fence to regain his breath after the final bell.

“I’m expecting the best version of him,” Zahabi said of Vera. “When you come off two losses, you don’t want a third. So I feel like he’s got a lot of motivation this time around.”

Zahabi, the lone Canadian male ranked by the UFC, has plenty of support behind him with older brother Firas Zahabi serving as his longtime trainer. St-Pierre, who won two titles with Firas, was also in his corner for the Aldo bout.

GSP, whom Zahabi has known since he was 16, won’t be in his corner Saturday due to a conflict with a previously scheduled charity event.

Saturday’s main event at Rogers Arena pits (The Dutch Knight) Reinier de Ridder, ranked fourth among middleweight contenders, against No. 9 Brendan (All In) Allen of the U.S.

Zahabi is 7-2-0 in the UFC, including 4-1-0 in Canada. He stopped Qileng (the Mongolian Murderer) Aori in 64 seconds in his last fight in Vancouver, at UFC 289 in June 2023.

The Aldo fight was shifted to featherweight when Aldo had issues making 135 pounds. He eventually weighed in at 143 pounds, one more than Zahabi.

Zahabi survived an early onslaught from Aldo in the first round, finding his timing as the fight progressed. Aldo dropped Zahabi with a knee and head kick in the third round but Zahabi survived and took advantage of a failed takedown attempt by a tiring Aldo midway through the third round.

Aldo ended on his back with Zahabi dropping elbows from above.

After two close rounds, Zahabi closed out the bout with a 52-20 edge in significant strikes in the third, earning a unanimous 29-28 decision that prompted Aldo to announce his retirement in the cage.

“I don’t think I have it in me anymore,” Aldo said through an interpreter.

Five months on, the win still resonates for Zahabi.

“I felt like a million bucks. I felt incredible. Still on a high actually. I still feel great about that,” he said.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do — to face the best of the best,” he added.

Vera has fought the best. The Ecuador fighter holds wins over former champions Dominick (The Dominator) Cruz, Frankie (The Answer) Edgar and O’Malley (in their first meeting at UFC 252 in August 2020).

Zahabi worked on his mental game after a KO loss to Brazil’s Ricardo Ramos at UFC 217 in November 2017.

“The Ramos fight kind of took my confidence and my chin away a little bit,” he said. “The fear was eating me up.”

A book called “The Tools” set him back on the right path. The book contained the mantra — “I love the pain. The pain will set me free.” Zahabi changed it to “I love the fear. The fear will set me free.”

He has gone 6-1-0 since.

Zahabi, the youngest of four brothers, started martial arts at five with karate. He was studying accounting at McGill, after taking commerce at CEGEP, before he took up MMA full time.

Away from the gym, he owns a small brokerage firm managing a couple of trucks that usually transport fruit and vegetables.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2025.