If you’re Aiemann Zahabi, you might still be wondering whether beating an absolute legend in Jose Aldo after a three-round war at UFC 315 was worth it. Fans haven’t called him out for stalling the action like Mario Bautista, but the unanimous 29-28 decision in his favor sparked a huge controversy. Aldo was also very emotional while hanging up the gloves after the fight, which might be why Zahabi’s latest post celebrating the victory has been received negatively by many.
Firas Zahabi’s younger brother, who is now on a six-fight winning streak, recently took to X to share an Iron Man-style edit of his UFC 315 outing. As Iron-Man himself, the Canadian could be seen pushing Aldo to the limit with elbows, strikes, and ground-and-pound. The clip also included Zahabi absorbing two flush soccer kicks from easily one of the best kickers in MMA history.
The caption, “Armour locked, battle mode engaged!” is a testament to the bantamweight’s resilience and aggressiveness inside the Octagon. However, fans apparently had other issues to resolve first. For starters, they don’t think Zahabi would stand tall against other top contenders. A user said, “What BS . Fight was a**. I see him getting stopped by any top 5 within a round or two,” while another pointed out, “You got gifted a decision lol all because you were in Canada. You’re not top 10 worthy and you get beat by any top 10. You f****g suck.”
Fan couldn’t help but comment on the soccer kicks as well, “Bro got booted around the cage and proceeded to post an edit of the fight.” They are important because Zahabi was close to being knocked out and could’ve swayed the second round in Aldo’s favor.
Unsurprisingly, some fans questioned the legitimacy of the decision win. An X user brought Zahabi’s elder brother, GSP’s head coach, to the picture and asked whether he influenced the judges in Montreal, “Be honest firas filled the judge’s pockets a little bit for that decision.” Other, more straightforward claims, like “You literally lost that fight,” and “You lost,“ have also flooded the replies to the aforementioned post.
Armour locked, battle mode engaged! pic.twitter.com/3p72OheKkk
— Aiemann Zahabi (@Aiemannzahabi) May 19, 2025
Some, on the other end of the spectrum, have all the praise for Zahabi as he took everything Aldo had without hesitation and fought back to clutch the win. A user said, “Not sure how you didn’t sleep from that soccer kick bro, s**t was ferocious. Massive respect on that fight back!”. His ability to stand and trade with a fierce striker also led to positive reactions like this: “I really enjoyed Zahabi’s Philly shell in this fight. He is deceptively fast with his reactions and head movement.”
What’s next for Aiemann Zahabi after controversial Jose Aldo win at UFC 315?
It’s important to note that Aldo vs. Zahabi took place at featherweight, not bantamweight. But the change happened because of the Brazilian legend struggling to meet the 135 lbs. limit, so the Canadian prospect, who now sits at no. 11, still has a case to fight a top-ranked UFC bantamweight next.
The first option could be the winner of Bautista vs. Patchy Mix that takes place on June 8, 2025. The latter is a former Bellator bantamweight champ with an impressive 20-1 record and a lot of hype. If he wins in spectacular fashion, the UFC might just put Mix in a title eliminator. Deiveson Figueiredo is another exciting matchup as the former UFC flyweight champion would want to snap out of his two-fight losing streak.
Rob Font and Song Yadong last fought on the same card on February 23, 2025. They’re both ranked above Zahabi at the moment and are coming off wins, so there are high-stakes matchups lying there as well.
May 10, 2025, Montreal, Qc, Canada: Main card Men s Featherweight Bout: JOSE ALDO vs AIEMANN ZAHABI in UFC 315 at Bell center in Montreal, QC, Canada on 2025-05-10 Montreal Canada – ZUMAl189 20250510_zsp_l189_050 Copyright: xYannickxLegarex
Because bantamweight is such a stacked division, you can expect Zahabi’s next fight to be a barn burner, too. The media scores and fan scores submitted on MMADecisions clearly paint Aldo as the winner, but as usual, people will forget the context in some time, and if the TriStar gym fighter can gather a couple more wins, he could very well bag a title shot.
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