Yara Nascimento was crowned Queen of Mats, the feature event on Day 1 of the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Grand Slam World Tour at Zayed Sports City’s Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday.
The Brazilian rounded off the fourth edition of the six-player league contest for the world’s top ranked black belt women with a perfect record.
A four-time Abu Dhabi Grand Slam champion, Nascimento is the only heavyweight in the circuit to win against compatriot Gabrieli Pessanha, winner of both Queen of Mats and Abu Dhabi World Professional Championship titles last year.
Pessanha wasn’t competing in this year’s lineup but the competition featured Julia Boscher, a three-time Abu Dhabi Grand Slam champion, Ingridd Sousa, last year’s gold medallist in the 70kg division at the Abu Dhabi World Pro, as well as Thalyta Silva, who generated huge attention for her performance in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam in London.
Rebeca Lima, the youngest at 19, and runner-up in the recent Abu Dhabi Grand Slam London, and the Abu Dhabi-based Rafaela Bertolot were the other two in the league.
Nascimento won all her fights and the final contest against Bertolot by submission.
“I can't describe how thrilled I am,” she said after claiming one of her biggest jiu-jitsu career prizes. “Winning the title tonight means I was able to surpass the best in my sport and I need to thank my technical staff for providing us with everything in terms of training and support.”
Nascimento, 26, will be aiming for a double when she takes part in the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam for Professionals on Sunday.
“It was tough tonight with five fights against some of the best athletes in the circuit,” she added. “It’s always hard to win in combat sports but I have had it going wonderful so far and now looking ahead for the next competition. I got 48 hours to recover for that and will be back for another title on Sunday, hopefully.”
Meanwhile, Emirati athletes dominated the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam World Tour finale for Youth on the opening day, winning 35 gold medals from the 87 available.
“Today’s competitions saw amazing technical levels and brilliant performances by young men and women who have demonstrated that they are on the right track to achieve an outstanding professional career in the coming years,” said Mohammed Salem Al Dhaheri, vice president of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation.
“One of the most important aspects of this tournament is the opportunity for our athletes to meet with their colleagues from other jiu-jitsu schools around the world.
“This has a positive impact on refining their talent, developing their experience, and preparing them in the best possible way to compete in upcoming competitions.”
Tariq Al Bahri, event director of Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu Pro, added: “Today’s results demonstrate once again that Abu Dhabi Grand Slam tournaments are gaining enormous popularity.
“We enjoyed large crowds of people cheering on the competitors, but more importantly all the participants put on fantastic performances, serving as motivation for them to continue to improve and strive for even better results in the future.”
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Bert van Marwijk factfile
Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder
Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia
Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands
Company%20profile
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Greatest Royal Rumble results
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
Initial investment: $150,000
Future plan: Raise $1.5m and enter Saudi Arabia next year
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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