The headline lightweight title bout between Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294 is official after both athletes made weight in Abu Dhabi on Friday morning.
Volkanovski, the current featherweight belt-holder aiming for double-champion status, was first on the scales at the athlete hotel, coming in at 154.5lbs – half a pound under the lightweight limit.
Champion Makhachev was next out, weighing right on the 155lb mark. The highly anticipated clash, a rematch of the gripping February encounter in Australia, tops the bill at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena on Saturday night.
Volkanovski, who lost to Makhachev at UFC 284 in Perth, took the fight on 11 days’ notice after Makhachev's initial opponent, Charles Oliveira, was forced to withdraw through injury.
Saturday’s co-main bout, a middleweight contest between former welterweights Khamzat Chimaev and Kamaru Usman, was also made official right at the beginning of the allotted two hours to make weight.
Usman, who accepted the fight only last week following Paulo Costa’s removal because of injury, came in at 184.5lbs, while Chimaev stepped up at 185.5lbs. Usman is the former long-reigning welterweight champion.
Meanwhile, UAE history-maker Mohammed Yahya is all set for his debut in the promotion after weighing in at 156lbs. The Dubai-based lightweight, who will make history as the first Emirati to compete in the UFC, takes on Trevor Peek, who weighed 155.5lbs on Friday.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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Ahmed Raza
UAE cricket captain
Age: 31
Born: Sharjah
Role: Left-arm spinner
One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95
T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
