The UFC’s latest marquee event takes place this weekend, with UFC 273 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida. Here we look at some of the must-watch bouts early Sunday in the UAE.
Alexander Volkanovski (c) v Chan Sung Jung (featherweight)
The featherweight champion was initially slated for a third clash with No 1 contender Max Holloway, but the former belt-holder’s withdrawal through injury has provided “The Korean Zombie” a golden opportunity.
Volkanovski, though, has not been beaten in his past 20 professional fights (he has a solitary loss in 24 bouts as a pro) and starred in his last octagon appearance by defeating Brian Ortega via unanimous decision at UFC 266 in September. Highlighted by his remarkable escape from submission, it marked the Australian’s second successful title defence after coming through his rematch with Holloway in Abu Dhabi in 2020.
Chan, meanwhile, has been a little iffy of late, losing three of his past seven in the UFC, although he remains one of the division’s most exciting talents. However, Volkanovski is firmly on the fast track to greatest-of-all-time status at featherweight. Rest assured, this one will entertain.
Aljamain Sterling (c) v Petr Yan (bantamweight)
Finally, a rematch way too long in the making will actually play out. Bad blood has more than bubbled in the 13 months since the controversy of the first match-up, when Sterling captured Yan’s bantamweight crown at UFC 259 after the Russian was disqualified for an illegal knee.
It represented the first time a UFC champion had been crowned via a DQ. Since, Sterling has been sidelined through injury, while in the meantime Yan became interim champion - he scored a superb unanimous decision win against Cory Sandhagen last October in Abu Dhabi. Yan’s defeat to Sterling remains his only loss in his past 12 pro bouts, with many expecting him to exact revenge against the American this weekend in relatively straightforward fashion.
Sterling, though, is an extremely skilled grappler who has understandably been affronted by the criticism that’s come his way following the manner of his coronation in March last year. Still, Yan feels still the man to beat at 135lbs.
Gilbert Burns v Khamzat Chimaev (welterweight)
Taking nothing away from the two championship bouts at UFC 273, this may well sit as the most eagerly anticipated contest of the entire event. And that's chiefly because Chimaev has quickly become one of the most popular athletes in mixed martial arts.
The Chechen-born Swede, unbeaten in 10 as a pro, has raced to four wins from four in the promotion since debuting at UFC 251 in Abu Dhabi in July 2020, with each victory coming in emphatic fashion. His most recent, against China’s Li Jingliang in October in the UAE capital, helped hoist the Chimaev hype train to levels perhaps not seen since Conor McGregor made the sport his own.
That said, Burns is without doubt his greatest challenge to date. The Brazilian is currently ranked the No 2 challenger at welterweight and rebounded well from last year’s title defeat to champion Kamaru Usman by dominating Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 264 in July. Has Chimaev at last met his match?
Ian Garry v Darian Weeks (welterweight)
Speaking of McGregor and hugely touted prospects, McGarry looks set to take the next step on what he – rather publicly – considers his road to superstardom. The Irishman, who readily cites his lofty compatriot as a role model, delivered on his UFC bow at UFC 268 in November by knocking out Jordan Williams in the opening round. It lifted Garry’s pro record to a blemish-free eight wins from eight.
“The Future” certainly talks a good game, and thus far through a career highlighted by championship gold in UK promotion Cage Warriors, has more than backed up the bravado. Victory against Weeks in Jacksonville will hardly catapult him to the upper echelons of the welterweight division – the American lost on UFC debut in December - but one thing is for certain: Garry will be intent on stealing the headlines on a stacked pay-per-view bill. For many, his sophomore showing needs to be even more stylish than his big bow five months ago.
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Total eligible population
About 57.5 million people
51.1 million received a jab
6.4 million have not
Where are the unvaccinated?
England 11%
Scotland 9%
Wales 10%
Northern Ireland 14%
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
THE%20SWIMMERS
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
The Saudi Cup race card
1 The Jockey Club Local Handicap (TB) 1,800m (Dirt) $500,000
2 The Riyadh Dirt Sprint (TB) 1,200m (D) $1.500,000
3 The 1351 Turf Sprint 1,351m (Turf) $1,000,000
4 The Saudi Derby (TB) 1600m (D) $800,000
5 The Neom Turf Cup (TB) 2,100m (T) $1,000,000
6 The Obaiya Arabian Classic (PB) 2,000m (D) $1,900,000
7 The Red Sea Turf Handicap (TB) 3,000m (T) $2,500,000
8 The Saudi Cup (TB) 1,800m (D) $20,000,000
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
'O'
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Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Company%20profile
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ASSASSIN'S%20CREED%20MIRAGE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Western Clubs Champions League:
- Friday, Sep 8 - Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Bahrain
- Friday, Sep 15 – Kandy v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
- Friday, Sep 22 – Kandy v Bahrain
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
