UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards is targeting Abu Dhabi for his second title defence.
The Jamaican-born Brit, unbeaten in his past 12 professional bouts, last month defeated former belt-holder Kamaru Usman in their rematch at UFC 286 in London. He had been expected to headline once more on the promotion's anticipated return to the English capital in July.
However, while Edwards told Sky Sports on Thursday that he would consider “stupid money” to fight in London this summer, he would prefer his next bout to take place in the UAE capital.
Abu Dhabi will host UFC 294 at Etihad Arena on October 21. As of yet, no bouts have been confirmed for the event, although it will include at least one championship clash.
"That would be perfect for me, Abu Dhabi," Edwards said. "I get time to nurse my injuries, I get time to get back into it slowly, so I feel like Abu Dhabi would be perfect for me, for sure.
“In the last year or so I’ve fought three times I think; I’d love to fight now towards the end of the year. The Abu Dhabi card would be great.”
Edwards, 21-3 as a pro (one no contest), is looking for a little time off having first come through his sensational title win against Usman in August last year and then the rematch at O2 Arena.
Asked if there was any chance he would compete in London in July, Edwards replied: “No, unless it comes with some stupid money, then I might consider it. The bag always talks. Come with some stupid money and I might consider it. But apart from that…
“I fought under a month ago, so I’ve still got stuff I’ve got to deal with first. So literally next week I’d have to be back in camp and back to work. August to March I did that already and now they’re saying March to July, I don’t think makes sense.”
As for his next opponent, UFC president Dana White has said already that Colby Covington sits at the front of the queue. The former two-time title challenger weighed in as back-up to Edwards-Usman in London, but has not fought since defeating Jorge Masvidal in March last year.
On Thursday, Edwards cited top-ranked contenders Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad as other potential opponents.
“I think Colby Covington is like a Btech Usman, there’s nothing there,” the champion said. “If that’s what they want I’ll give them that - the opponent doesn’t bother me, it’s more the date that bothers me. So we’ll see.
“I remember when I was going through the pandemic [Covington] was like, ‘Who’s Leon Edwards?’ And now look, he’s like begging me for the title shot. How times have changed, now I’m king of the hill and I’ll sit back and let him beg some more. I’ve earned it.
“Now I’m the champion, I decide. Colby isn’t a champion so doesn’t decide anything. That’s the difference. If it is Colby it’s Colby, they are all similar fights anyway. There’s nothing fearful about Colby.”
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
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More on Palestine-Israeli relations
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Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
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- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
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Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Engine: Electric
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 571bhp
Torque: 650Nm
Price: Dh431,800
Specs – Panamera
Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
Power: 455bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: from Dh431,800
Six pitfalls to avoid when trading company stocks
Following fashion
Investing is cyclical, buying last year's winners often means holding this year's losers.
Losing your balance
You end up with too much exposure to an individual company or sector that has taken your fancy.
Being over active
If you chop and change your portfolio too often, dealing charges will eat up your gains.
Running your losers
Investors hate admitting mistakes and hold onto bad stocks hoping they will come good.
Selling in a panic
If you sell up when the market drops, you have locked yourself out of the recovery.
Timing the market
Even the best investor in the world cannot consistently call market movements.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
'Dark Waters'
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper
Rating: ****
