The UFC will host its 22nd Abu Dhabi show this weekend when Tom Aspinall defends his heavyweight title against Ciryl Gane in the headline bout.
With a stacked card and much more happening throughout fight week, here is everything you need to know about UFC 321.
What is it?
UFC 321 is a mixed martial arts event from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The event will be headlined by the heavyweight title fight between champion Tom Aspinall and No 1-ranked Ciryl Gane. There will be a total of 12 fights – five on the main card and seven on the preliminary card.
Where is it?
Fight night will be held at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. It will be the 10th UFC event staged at the venue.
When is it?
UFC 321 takes place this Saturday, October 25. The preliminary card is scheduled to begin from 6pm UAE time, with the main card expected to start around 10pm.
Who are the headline fighters?
Aspinall was anointed UFC heavyweight champion after previous incumbent Jon Jones announced his retirement in June.
Aspinall, whose record stands at 15 wins against three losses, was already the division's interim champion having beaten Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295.
He was successful in his first title defence, securing a first-round KO of Curtis Blaydes in July 2024. With it, the Englishman avenged his only loss in the UFC, having suffered a knee injury during their first encounter in 2022 after only 15 seconds.
That was the only setback in what has been an impressive win streak for Aspinall since signing for the world's lead MMA organisation in 2020, winning 11 of 12 bouts.
Gane has twice fought for the undisputed heavyweight title and came up short both times. He was dominated by Francis Ngannou for most of the five rounds at UFC 270 before tapping out to Jones at UFC 285.
The Frenchman (13 wins, 2 losses) has two victories since losing to Jones, over Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov. The latter was fiercely disputed, with many observers believing Volkov came out on the wrong side of a split decision.
This will be Gane's third crack at winning UFC gold.
Who is on the rest of the card?
The co-main event sees top-ranked Virna Jandiroba up against fellow Brazilian Mackenzie Dern for the vacant women's strawweight title.
Jandiroba rides a five-fight win streak while fifth-ranked Dern is looking to score her second victory over Jandiroba after taking a unanimous decision at UFC 256.
Also on the main card, Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia, who suffered a first loss in 19 fights earlier this year to men's UFC bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili, takes on the fast-rising American Mario Bautista (16-2).
Russian heavyweight Alexander Volkov (38-11) will be keen to catch the eye ahead of the Aspinall-Gane main event when he takes on Brazil's Jailton Almeida (22-3).
Rounding out the main card is Serbia's Aleksandar Rakic (14-5) up against Azamat Murzakanov of Russia at light heavyweight.
What else is happening during fight week?
There are two UFC Fan Experiences to attend throughout the week, one at Yas Mall (Monday-Saturday and the other at Yas Bay Plaza (Wednesday-Sunday). The events are free and open to the public. Fans can get involved in immersive experiences and buy UFC merchandise at the stores.
Timings:
Yas Mall - Monday to Thursday, 10am to 10pm; Friday and Saturday from 10am to midnight
Yas Bay Plaza - Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 4-10pm; Friday, 4pm to midnight; Saturday, 4pm to 2am
Fans can attend the public workout on Wednesday at Yas Mall's Town Centre (5-7pm), where the headline and co-main event fighters will go through their paces.
The press conferences will be held on Thursday at Etihad Arena (starts 5pm) and fans are also invited to attend for free.
The weigh-ins will then take place on Friday, with the closed official weigh-ins scheduled for 9am before ceremonial weigh-ins in the evening at Etihad Arena (4-6.30pm), which are open to the public.
Are tickets still available?
Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.ae.
Is UFC 321 on TV?
The event can be watched live in the UAE on Starzplay.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
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
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
Baby Driver
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James
Three and a half stars
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
