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

Mark Madsen will have a renowned coach by his side for UFC 295.

Madsen (12-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) is set to face Jared Gordon (19-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) in the prelims at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card will be on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPNews and early prelims on ESPN+.

Madsen, who recently returned to his native Denmark, trained with Tristar Gym head coach Firas Zahabi for over three weeks. Zahabi has previously coached UFC champions Georges St-Pierre and Rory MacDonald, as well as 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 that his training with Zahabi will help him bounce back from his first professional defeat, which came at the hands of 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.

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie