Legendary MMA coach Firas Zahabi says actor Keanu Reeves copied one in all his techniques for the ‘John Wick’ franchise.
UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre is arguably one in all the best fighters of all time after a legendary profession contained in the Octagon. But his success likely wouldn’t’ve produced the identical results without his star-studded team at Tristar Gym, led by top-tier coach Firas Zahabi.
St-Pierre is one in all a handful of fighters to earn UFC titles in multiple weight classes during his profession. After a lengthy hiatus following a detailed welterweight title defense against Johny Hendricks, St-Pierre returned at UFC 217, dethroning then-middleweight titleholder Michael Bisping for the 185 lb belt.
Zahabi is thought for his unorthodox training methods and slew of top talent he’s helped grow contained in the gym, including his younger brother Aiemann, who returns at UFC 315 later this month against Jose Aldo. But in line with Zahabi, not all of his techniques have been learned and perfected solely contained in the gym’s partitions.
Firas Zahabi accuses Keanu Reeves of ‘ripping off’ one in all his techniques for ‘John Wick’
Actor Keanu Reeves is one of the successful motion stars to hit the massive screen, after memorable performances in ‘The Matrix’ and the ‘John Wick’ movie franchise. His movies are known to incorporate high-octane drama and motion, and he’s trained in some martial arts during his film profession to tug off his own stunts.
But in line with Zahabi, one in all Reeves’s on-screen techniques got here from Tristar.
During a recent upload to the Tristar Gym YouTube channel, Firas Zahabi accused Reeves of plagiarism.
“It was an incredible move, it’s called the online guard. I used to call it the online guard. I used to rush people punching and kicking after which every time they’d grab a hold of me, in the event that they grabbed me with an underhook, I might jump web guard,” Zahabi explained. “If I grab them with an underhook, I could also do it, so it didn’t matter to me, which is what I loved. As soon as we tied up, I could get the fight to the bottom.”
“I put this move out of circulation,” Zahabi continued. “But then a person by the name of Keanu Reeves, the person actually dared to tear me off. Now, I’m used to the white man stealing from me, but when he’s a fellow Lebanese, that’s the issue. Now that I do know he’s a fellow Lebanese, I have to insist that I collect from him. When the white man steals from me, I’m not so upset. I expect it! But a fellow Lebanese? This cannot go unpunished. He jumps web guard within the movie. Long story short, Keanu, you owe me massari.” (h/t MMA Mania)
Luckily, it appears Zahabi’s claims aren’t from a hostile side, and Reeves hasn’t responded to Zahabi’s remarks. Reeves has attended several high-profile UFC events, including multiple International Fight Week cards in Las Vegas.
Georges St-Pierre advised Tom Aspinall amidst the prolonged Jon Jones wait
As Zahabi prepares his brother and other gym members for his or her upcoming fights, St-Pierre stays sidelined from combat sports, and a fighting return is unlikely. But St-Pierre keeps a keen eye on what’s happening in MMA, including the continued Jon Jones vs. Tom Aspinall saga.
Since Jones defended the UFC heavyweight title in November, discussions of a possible super fight with Aspinall haven’t slowed down. Aspinall is the UFC’s longest-reigning interim titleholder, stemming from his knockout win over Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.
St-Pierre recently advised Aspinall to not deal with securing the Jones fight, and to open his mind to other potential options within the heavyweight division. If Jones walks away, Ciryl Gane and other top heavyweights are waiting within the wings for a shot on the belt.
