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.