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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Farah Hannoun

Mark Madsen thrilled to have ‘genius’ Firas Zahabi in his corner for UFC 295

Mark Madsen will have a famed coach in his corner at UFC 295.

Madsen (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) takes on Jared Gordon (19-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in Saturday’s prelims at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

Madsen, who recently moved back to his home country of Denmark, spent over three weeks training with Tristar Gym head coach Firas Zahabi, who has coached the likes of former two-division UFC champion Georges St-Pierre, Rory MacDonald, and Olivier Aubin-Mercier.

“I also had the chance to work with Firas Zahabi,” Madsen told MMA Junkie Radio. “(It was a) huge honor and very interesting working with a coach of that level. It actually turned out to be better than I expected moving back home to Denmark.”

Madsen is confident his preparation with Zahabi will allow him to rebound from his first professional loss, which came to Grant Dawson a year ago.

“(He has) a very unique mind when it comes to MMA,” Madsen said. “He showed me some stuff that played right into my game, my Greco-Roman (wrestling) background. He showed me some of the stuff that him and GSP used in his fights. In my opinion, he’s kind of a genius when it comes to developing a unique style for a fighter.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

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