Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Renzo Gracie believes amateur MMA has the potential to join the Olympics roster.
He also praised the UAE's leadership for its role in helping to develop the sport on a day when Emirati Zamzam Al Hammadi defended her gold medal in Abu Dhabi.
Gracie was present on the final day of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation’s World Youth Championship at the Mubadala Arena on Saturday.
“The sport definitely does have the potential to be in the Olympics from what I saw in Serbia [at the IMMAF European Championship] and now having been here today with over 800 competitors from across 47 countries,” Gracie told The National.
“It’s showing the interest and the potential that these kids are bringing. I was very surprised with the technique and the level of knowledge that these kids have.
“We are looking at the future generations of the MMA sport in the world. For sure, from here, we're going to have a lot of world champions coming out.”
The five-day championships for boys and girls aged 12 to 17 was being held in Abu Dhabi for the third successive year while the combat sport continues to spread its wings at the professional level around the globe.
“I really believe the IMMAF platform will help the sport grow. Right now, it's just in a few countries but soon every nation will embrace it. I'm right now working to help them to move to the US and start having a platform there to expand,” Gracie added.
“We must go to countries that will support this sport financially and countries with a lot of density of people. So, I believe India, China, Brazil and the US, they will be a very important part of that growth. I see this sport taking off and I know before I die I will watch this in the Olympics.”
Zamzam Al Hammadi, the first Emirati female to win the IMMAF World Youth title last year, retained the gold medal on Saturday night. She holds both the IMMAF and the International Jiu-Jitsu Federation’s World Youth titles.
“This is the beauty of this country. They did what Brazil should have done 40 years ago, which was to embrace jiu-jitsu and make it grow,” Gracie said of Abu Dhabi’s pioneering effort to promote the martial art sport globally.
“The first time I was here was almost 30 years ago and the Abu Dhabi ruling family loved jiu-jitsu in such a level that they decided there was a very important tool to forge their future generation.
“They added jiu-jitsu in the school curriculum, introduced it in the police and the military. They made a point that promotions in the police and military came with a jiu-jitsu belt. By doing so, they did an amazing job to spread the sport in the country.
“Today you come here, in the Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, they have 13,000 competitors. This is unheard of. They have 14 per cent of the whole population practising jiu-jitsu.
“I believe the other countries should have copied that and should have done the same, you know, because this is one of the greatest sports, one of the greatest tools to forge kids that will become amazing human beings in the future.”
The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has an international calendar staging Grand Slam events in Europe, America and Asia throughout the year with the highlight being the annual Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship.
The martial art also made its debut at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games and was included at the Hangzhou Games, with the UAE topping the medals table on both occasions. Its inclusion in the Olympics is their next goal.
Meanwhile, the spotlight on the final night of the IMMAF Youth Worlds was on Al Hammadi’s stunning performance. The Abu Dhabi schoolgirl retained her title after a unanimous decision over American Xerena Sikes in the 52.2-kilogram final.
“I’m very glad that I was able to win the gold for the second successive year. It was hard work throughout the championship and I’m proud for my country, the fans and my family having achieved this result,” Al Hammadi told The National.
After becoming the first Emirati female to win an MMA world title last year, Al Hammadi was back in the gym and training two days later for her title defence, which she achieved with a run of four wins at the championships.
“I knew how hard it’s going to be to replicate the gold medal for the second year and also how tough it is to win a fight at this level,” she added.
“Last year, I was back in the gym two days after I won the gold and I’m going to follow the same schedule in preparing for 2025. This year, I improved my striking and upped my grappling skills, and now I'm looking forward to further improving my overall skills in both MMA and jiu-jitsu.”
Al Hammadi overcame Taghrid Akkawi of Palestine with a vicious armbar submission in one minute and 32 seconds into her opening fight. She followed up that win with a unanimous decision over Italian Elena Indelicato in the next.
In the semi-finals, Al Hammadi overcame Poland’s Sara Dembinska, also by unanimous decision to set the stage for a grand finale against Sikes.
Taking home a second gold earlier in the week was her sister Ghala Al Hammadi in a repeat of their success 12 months ago.
Thani Al Mehairi (Youth A/65.8 kg) and Saeed Al Nuaimi (Men/Youth A / 56.7 kg) won bronze medals on the final night, taking the UAE’s overall tally to 12, including four golds, one silver and seven bronze.
Ukraine topped the medals table for the fourth consecutive year followed by Tajikistan and Uzbekistan in second and third places, respectively.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
%3Cp%3EFirst%20ODI%20-%20Sunday%2C%20June%204%20%0D%3Cbr%3ESecond%20ODI%20-%20Tuesday%2C%20June%206%20%0D%3Cbr%3EThird%20ODI%20-%20Friday%2C%20June%209%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMatches%20at%20Sharjah%20Cricket%20Stadium.%20All%20games%20start%20at%204.30pm%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Adithya%20Shetty%2C%20Ali%20Naseer%2C%20Ansh%20Tandon%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Basil%20Hameed%2C%20Ethan%20D%E2%80%99Souza%2C%20Fahad%20Nawaz%2C%20Jonathan%20Figy%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Lovepreet%20Singh%2C%20Matiullah%2C%20Mohammed%20Faraazuddin%2C%20Muhammad%20Jawadullah%2C%20Rameez%20Shahzad%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Sanchit%20Sharma%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%203-litre%20V6%20turbo%20(standard%20model%2C%20E-hybrid)%3B%204-litre%20V8%20biturbo%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20350hp%20(standard)%3B%20463hp%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20467hp%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20500Nm%20(standard)%3B%20650Nm%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20600Nm%20(S)%0D%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh368%2C500%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars
- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes
- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts
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
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Klopp at the Kop
Matches 68; Wins 35; Draws 19; Losses 14; Goals For 133; Goals Against 82
- Eighth place in Premier League in 2015/16
- Runners-up in Europa League in 2016
- Runners-up in League Cup in 2016
- Fourth place in Premier League in 2016/17
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
