Firas Zahabi on Hard Work

 

In Georges St-Pierre's autobiography "The Way of the Fight", GSP's coach Firas Zahabi gives an homage to his prize pupil's work ethic, as well as to the concept of hard work as a whole:

 

His greatest ability is his perseverance. There’s an understanding we have between us that results and success come from one place: hard work. We agree with Holmes. We think it’s fair: you get back what you put in. People can cheat or rob you of almost any possession, but hard work belongs to you, and you alone. Georges knows that better than anyone I've ever known or heard of. So Georges’s work ethic is his greatest gift

It's a very profound passage by Zahabi. Indeed many people revere hard work above anything else and oftentimes many people don't even feel they deserve something if they haven't toiled for it immensely. 

Firas Zahabi: Georges St-Pierre is like an Ant

In The Way of the Fight, Firas Zahabi, coach of Georges St-Pierre, likens GSP to a hard-working ant:

Georges is definitely on a mission, and he keeps proving that he can carry more than his own weight. Like an ant, the only way to stop him would be to kill him. He has no doubt, no hesitation, no confusion, no second-guessing. Obstacles will not deter him from the goal. Not a trunk; not a twig. He’ll always find a way

Great Quotes by MMA Coaches

Some of the most respected coaches in Mixed Martial Arts are Greg Jackson, Firas Zahabi out of Tristar Gym, John Danaher out of Renzo Gracie's Academy and who helps Zahabi with training Georges St-Pierre, and Ricardo Liborio out of American Top Team.

With Greg Jackson, a strong them in his philosophy is suffering and the getting used to that feeling of being unpleasant. His concept of combat lends itself to training to the bitter limits and consequently the fight is a relatively pleasant encounter. Jackson has used this coaching style to breed several champions including the pound for pound number one fighter in the world at the moment, Jon Jones.



Firas Zahabi believes in preparation over everything. For the Montreal native, he looks at the fight as something not so much won in the UFC Octagon, but the result of months leading up to it in training. And he also adheres to the philosophy of  focusing on the things you can control, and discarding all thinking about the rest.




BJJ wizard and coach John Danaher is a former professor at Columbia University. He no longer teaches philosophy at the university level, but takes that brilliant knowledge and applies it into the world of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and mixed martial arts. For Danaher, he is someone who focusses on perfection and routine.


Ricardo Liborio is a legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu artist and head of the American Top Team gym in Florida. Liborio believes in humility and using that trait to learn from everyone, as well as keeping a patient mind on the road to improvement.

 

Firas Zahabi on Performing on Fight Night

It's not the best fighter that wins, but the fighter who fights better when the moment arrives.