While becoming the first Emirati to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an achievement in itself, remaining competitive in the world's lead Mixed Martial Arts is proving a much tougher challenge for Mohammed Yahya.
Yahya, 31, returns to the octagon on July 26 at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi. He takes on American featherweight Steven Nguyen in what will be his third appearance for the promotion. After losing his two previous bouts, the Emirati knows this make or break for him.
“It obviously can be my last chance to be in the UFC for which I have worked all my life,” Yahya told The National.
“I have to be realistic. It’s like my only chance to stay in the UFC. Preparing for this fight has been taking everything from me. I've been sacrificing a lot since my last defeat. I've been changing a lot of stuff. I've been changing my diet, changing my training, and everything else.
“I've just been so disciplined following my last two fights in the promotion. I ate correctly and I ticked all the boxes. It's a new weight division for me, which is where I should have been fighting my whole life.”
Yahya has cut his weight down by 10 pounds (4.5kg) to compete in the 145lbs featherweight division.
“I have trained differently. A mix of more striking, working more in getting quicker. I feel lighter on my feet and feel much faster and stronger in every aspect,” he said of his preparation.
The Emirati had lost his inaugural UFC fight against American Trevor Peek in 2023. Then last year, he lost to Kaue Fernandes during UFC Fight Night.
Yahya has returned with renewed passion, having completed a 12-week camp at his gym in Dubai.
“The preparation has been good, training twice a day. I've been training with a lot of good fighters from all around the world. They train in my gym and it’s been great to take them on,” he said.
“So here we are, training with all types of fighters. Preparation has gone very well. The rest is all just for the night. I'm now ready to go at any time this week, next week, I'm ready.”
Nguyen also enters the contest with a lot to prove. He lost to Dutchman Jarno Errens in his UFC debut in Las Vegas in March last year. He has a 9-2 overall record to Yahya’s 12-5.
“I have seen some of his videos,” Yahya said of his opponent. “We have worked a few strategies for him but I don’t care who stands in front of me. I just need to go out there and get this win.
“In the last two fights, I felt the pressure, but I don't think pressure is a thing any more for me. I just want to go out and prove myself and make my country and my family proud.”
Yahya is proud of his record of being the first Emirati to compete in the UFC. He was also the first UAE MMA fighter to turn professional, making a winning debut against Jordanian Hamza Nafush in Desert Force 11 in Bahrain back in March 2014.
“I feel great to be the first Emirati in the UFC. It makes me proud that I get to represent my country. I'm in MMA’s biggest stage, and it's always been my dream to be in the UFC since I was 14.
It's a new weight division for me, which is where I should have been fighting my whole life
Mohammed Yahya
Early in his career, Yahya struggled to find the right training system to pursue combat sports full time. He then moved to the UK to train in kickboxing. He acknowledges MMA has now come a long way in the UAE from the time he started.
“Back in the day, I didn't have many opportunities to fight or to train in combat sports here. Now there's hundreds of specialised gyms for combat sports and some of the biggest and sophisticated ones in the world.”
“The next generation of Emirati MMA fighters is very lucky,” he added. “The opportunities they have, the training they have, the events they have ... So if you really wanted to be an MMA fighter now, it's much easier.”
UFC Fight Night will be headlined by former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and Dutchman Reinier de Ridder. Also on the main card is Movsar Evloev v Aaron Pico in the featherweight category, along with Shara Magomedov v Marc-Andre Barriault and Petr Yan v Marcus McGhee.
“I love Robert Whittaker. I’m a big fan of him. He's a legend in the sport. I really don't want to miss his fight. He's going to put on a good show on night,” Yahya said.
Match info
Manchester United 1 (Van de Beek 80') Crystal Palace 3 (Townsend 7', Zaha pen 74' & 85')
Man of the match Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
JOKE'S%20ON%20YOU
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SECRET%20INVASION
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The Bio
Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees (oats with chicken) is one of them
Favourite place to go to: Dubai Mall because it has lots of sports shops.
Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results
During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks
Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy
Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Naga
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US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER
Directed by: Michael Fimognari
Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo
Two stars
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.”
