Alexander Volkanovski has stepped in at 11 days' notice to face lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in the headline bout at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi after Charles Oliveira suffered an injury in training, UFC president Dana White confirmed on Tuesday night.
Oliveira was defeated by Makhachev in their first title fight, also in Abu Dhabi, at UFC 280 in October last year, and was preparing for the rematch when the Brazilian sustained a serious cut above his eye during sparring.
White revealed during a press conference following the Season 7 finale of The Contender Series that Oliveira has been forced to withdraw, and has been replaced by Australian flyweight champion Volkanovski, who is also aiming for a shot at redemption having lost to Makhachev at lightweight at UFC 284 in Perth in February.
"Yes, it's true. Round five of sparring last night [Monday] before he was supposed to jump on a plane today, he splits his eyebrow wide open and got it stitched up. Obviously, he can't fly out there with that," White said.
"It would be one thing if he had called us. We would have taken him to a plastic surgeon who would have sowed it from the inside out and got it done the right way. These guys never call us when something happens, they call us after they get it stitched up. But on the flip side, too, I can see him not wanting to risk it.
"The Volkankovski crew, these guys are absolute studs, man. He jumps in and accepts the fight."
The first bout between Makhachev and Volkankovski eight months ago was a thriller, with the Dagestan fighter emerging victorious by a unanimous points decision.
Makhachev has not fought since then, while Volkankovski returned to flyweight and defended his title with a third-round TKO win over Yair Rodríguez at UFC 290 in Las Vegas in July.
The two UFC superstars are separated by just one place in the pound-for-pound rankings, with Volkankovski in second and Makhachev third. Heavyweight champion Jon Jones occupies top spot.
UFC 290 will be the fourth time Makhachev has competed in Abu Dhabi and will be the third defence of his lightweight title. The 31-year-old boasts a professional MMA record of 24 wins against one loss.
Volkankovski, meanwhile, will be fighting in Abu Dhabi for the second time, and the 35-year-old Australian – regarded by many as the greatest flyweight in UFC history – holds a 26-2 MMA record, losing only once in the UFC, that defeat coming against Makhachev.
Their rematch will top a stacked card at the Etihad Arena on October 21. Fourth-ranked middleweight Khamzat Chimaev makes his highly-anticipated return to the octagon against former title challenger Paulo Costa seeking to maintain his flawless pro record.
Chimaev, 29, is 6-0 since debuting in the UFC in Abu Dhabi during the inaugural Fight Island in July 2020, and has competed in the emirate twice since. He last fought in September last year, easing to a first-round win against Kevin Holland. Overall, he is 12-0 as a pro.
Costa, too, has previous experience on Fight Island, losing to then-middleweight champion Israel Adesanya at UFC 253. The Brazilian, 14-2, has not competed since defeating Luke Rockhold at UFC 278 13 months ago.
UFC 294 also sees history being made, when UAE lightweight Mohammed Yahya becomes the first Emirati to fight in the UFC when he enters the octagon against American Trevor Peek.
Other notable bouts at Etihad Arena include a clash of middleweight contenders in Nassourdine Imavov and Ikram Aliskerov, while former light-heavyweight title challenger Magomed Ankalaev takes on Johnny Walker, and top prospect Muhammad Mokaev meets Tim Elliott at flyweight.
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Match info
Who: India v Afghanistan
What: One-off Test match, Bengaluru
When: June 14 to 18
TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD, 8am starts
Online: OSN Play (subscribers only)
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
WWE TLC results
Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins
Daniel Bryan retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles
Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax
Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a chairs match
Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre
Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match
Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match
Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day
R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge by beating Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox
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 profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
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SPECS
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Where to buy
Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com
Poacher
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