Georges St-Pierre and Firas Zahabi (right)

By FCF Staff

Edmond Tarverdyan has taken a lot of heat from observers, following Ronda Rousey’s loss at UFC 207, and recently Firas Zahabi weighed in on the situation.

Amanda Nunes immediately rocked Rousey with a punches at the recent event, and finished the bout in just 48 seconds. The bout marked the first time Rousey had fought since October, 2015, when she was KO’d by Holly Holm.

Many questioned Tarverdyan’s coaching of Rousey after her loss to Holm, and that’s transpired again, following her defeat at UFC 207. But, the renowned coach Zahabi had this to say about the situation recently, during his video podcast (quotes via Bloody Elbow):

“Her punching level is not at an expert level,” Zahabi said. “However, is that her coach’s fault? I would say no, it is not.”

“I know a lot of guys are blowing your tops off now, but it’s not his fault,” the Tristar leader added. “She is not the first athlete in MMA to fail at developing a striking game.”

“…Before you start burning your computers, hear me out. Take for instance, Ben Askren, great fighter. His coach, Duke Roufus, is an extremely competent striking coach. No one can debate that, and he has proven himself over and over again. Why isn’t Asrken’s striking like Anthony Pettis? Is it Duke Roufus’ fault? No it is not.”

Zahabi did go on to say that he thinks Tarverdyan did a poor job coaching Rousey during the Nunes bout, and that the former champ needs a “better approach”, in terms of her MMA game.