Tristar Gym head coach Firas Zahabi believes MMA could become more active and engaging if promotions adopted a pit-style area instead of relying solely on a traditional cage.
During his pre-bout analysis of Islam Makhachev versus Ian Machado Garry, Zahabi discussed the limitations of the fence and how athletes can use it to slow the pace. He pointed to Garry’s first meeting with Shavkat Rakhmonov, where the two spent much of the opening round locked against the cage.
“I was just watching Ian Garry versus Shavkat today, man. They were on the fence for like four and a half minutes in the first round,” Zahabi said. “The average fans bored out of his mind.”
Zahabi emphasized that he appreciates wrestling, but argued that prolonged clinching against a flat fence can reduce the action. In his view, the problem is not necessarily the grappling itself, but the environment and incentives created by the cage.
His preferred solution would involve changing the bottom section of the cage so that it slopes away from the wall. A athlete pressured toward the edge would no longer have a flat surface to brace against, making it easier for the opponent to attack the legs, use trips, or complete a takedown.
“They need something. Maybe it’s a cage, but there’s a slope at the bottom of the cage,” Zahabi explained. “So, if you get pushed up against the cage, your feet are like away from the cage. That guy can reap the foot. He can foot sweep. It incentivizes you not to go to the cage to engage.”
Zahabi also praised the pit used in Karate Combat’s grappling format. Because the boundary rises at an angle, retreating can place a competitor in a worse position rather than providing a convenient escape from an exchange.
“The pit was amazing,” he said. “Why? Because if you back up, you’re on this incline plane and you can fall and now the guy’s on top of you.”
He believes the same principle could benefit MMA by making defensive movement more costly and encouraging competitors to remain engaged. An athlete could still use distance and footwork, but retreating repeatedly would no longer offer the same protection.
Zahabi argued that a pit-style arena might also reduce the need for longer contests because sustained engagement would create more opportunities for takedowns, transitions, and submissions. For him, the central issue is designing an environment where action is consistently rewarded and stalling becomes difficult to maintain.
