Ali Al Qaisi becomes part of Jordanian history as the first mixed martial arts fighter from the Middle East nation to feature in UFC on Saturday.
Al Qaisi takes on Mexican Irwin 'The Beast' Rivera in the opening bantamweight clash of the UFC Fight Night, which is headlined by the heavyweight contest between American Derick Lewis and Ukrainian Aleksei Oleinik in Las Vegas.
"I'm honoured to represent Jordan and the Arab community at the UFC," Al Qaisi told The National in a Zoom interview.
“I’m sure the Middle East and Arab community, everyone will be behind me. I’m really happy to be part of the UFC family right now.
“It’s the summit for every MMA fighter. I have worked very hard to reach this point. When I first started, it was my long-term objective to feature in a UFC fight card, and now I have reached there and I am going to cherish every moment of it.”
Nicknamed the 'Royal Fighter', Al Qaisi, who turns 30 next month, enters the octagon with an 8-3 record.
“I want to open the door for more Jordanian fighters to UFC,” Al Qaisi said.
“We have a lot of good fighters back home and I feel my presence in the UFC can be a catalyst for more and more to reach this level.”
When MMA first started in the Middle East, the Jordanian capital Amman was considered the hub of the sport.
That has now shifted to Abu Dhabi after the signing of a five-year deal with UFC last year.
The first UFC event saw Khabib Nurmagomedov defeat Dustin Poirier to retain the lightweight championship in September 2019. The Fight Nights staged at Fight island last month further established Abu Dhabi’s status.
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UFC Fight Island: Usman v Masvidal
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“I have competed in the Desert Force and Phoenix in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and obviously would like to return for a UFC appearance in Abu Dhabi’s Fight Island,” Al Qaisi added.
“I would like to place my appreciation to Abu Dhabi for taking MMA to a new level in the region, and providing Arab fighters more opportunities to compete in their events.”
On his upcoming fight against Rivera, who arrives with a similar 8-3 record, Al Qaisi is confident in making a successful UFC debut.
“He’s a tough, aggressive and good fighter,” he said. “For me, it doesn’t matter who I fight. I just have one goal and that’s to enter the cage, start the fight and win the fight.”
Al Qaisi believes his daughter Selma, born in March in the US, has given him new energy and motivation.
“She’s my lucky charm from now on,” he said. “Also, I want to thank everyone for sending me messages and wishing me the best for the fight.
“I’m here alone with my wife and little girl in Vegas but the messages I receive make me feel I have an army behind me.
“I wake up every morning and read the beautiful messages. It gives me more strength and motivation, and I want to do my best and bring success to my country and to all those beautiful people.”
Moroccan Yousef Zalal (9-2) is the other Arab fighter to feature in the card, and he comes up against UFC debutant American Peter Barrett (11-3) in a featherweight undercard.
Zalal, 23, makes a quick return to the octagon after stretching his UFC record to two wins with a unanimous points decision over American Jordan Griffin at Vegas-4 in June.
“The gym I work with keeps me ready all year around, and to be honest, I’m ready to take up any fights at short notices,” Zalal, who has been living in the US since he was 12, said.
“I got a call to say they got a guy for me and he was a UFC debutant. I was like ‘okay let me have a look at his record and one of his videos' and went, ‘aha this is going to a be a good fight’.
“I told them to bring him on. It doesn’t both me at all. I think he’s a brawler who comes in and really gases out after the first round. I think he’s not ready for my style. But let’s wait and see.”
All fights will be shown exclusively on UFC Arabia through the UFC Arabia app in the UAE and the Middle East at 6am, both English and Arabic.
UFC Arabia is the exclusive provider of all UFC Pay-Per-View events to fans in the UAE and the Middle East. The main card begins at 5am on Sunday with the preliminaries kicking off at 2am GST.
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Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
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Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
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2012-2015
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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”.
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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.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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