Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia celebrates his victory over Justin Gaethje in their lightweight title bout during the UFC 254 event on UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia celebrates his victory over Justin Gaethje in their lightweight title bout during the UFC 254 event on UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Khabib Nurmagomedov after his victory over Justin Gaethje in their lightweight title bout during the UFC 254 event on UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Khabib Nurmagomedov after his victory over Justin Gaethje in their lightweight title bout during the UFC 254 event on UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia celebrates his victory over Justin Gaethje in their lightweight title bout during the UFC 254 event in Abu Dhabi.
Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia celebrates his victory over Justin Gaethje in their lightweight title bout during the UFC 254 event in Abu Dhabi.
Justin Gaethje kicks Khabib Nurmagomedov,
Justin Gaethje kicks Khabib Nurmagomedov,
Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia submits Justin Gaethje in their lightweight title bout during the UFC 254 event on UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia submits Justin Gaethje in their lightweight title bout during the UFC 254 event on UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Khabib hugs his father after beating Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi in September 2019.
Khabib hugs his father after beating Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi in September 2019.
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has signed professional football contract with Legion Dynamo.
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has signed professional football contract with Legion Dynamo.

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Dana White announcement: Khabib Nurmagomedov challenges rivals to 'do something spectacular' at UFC 257 to tempt him back

Headline bout pits against one another former champion Conor McGregor in a rematch against former interim title-holder Dustin Poirier

John McAuley
John McAuley

January 16, 2021

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Khabib Nurmagomedov has not closed the door on a return to the UFC, telling Dana White he could come back should “something spectacular” entice him after watching both lightweight bouts at next week’s UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi.

The undefeated champion, 32, retired in October immediately following his victory against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, which also took place in the capital. Nurmagomedov's father had died in July, with the 29-0 fighter saying he promised his mother that he would not compete again.

White met with Nurmagomedov at UAE Warriors 15 on Friday, where they discussed his possible return.

Speaking to ESPN early Sunday on the sidelines of UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Kattar - the first of three events on the latest Fight Island series in Abu Dhabi - White said: “Basically, the way he feels right now is that he’s accomplished everything that he set out to accomplish.

“He thought that [Charles] Oliveira looked really good in his fight against Tony Ferguson. Next Saturday, we have the McGregor-Poirier fight and [Michael] Chandler and [Dan] Hooker on there.

“His words to me were, ‘I’m going to watch this fight.’ He said, ‘I would never tie up the division, hold the belt, keep the belt away from anybody else. These guys do something spectacular, show me something spectacular, and make me want to come back and fight.’

“So I have a feeling that if somebody delivers - it could be on the co-main event or the main event - and like I said he thought Oliveira looked good. Two fights coming up, Oliveira looked good, if these guys can do something special, Khabib will fight them.”

White added: “He’s the best in the world right now. His best performance was against Gaethje with all that stuff [his father’s death] going on. He just needed time to clear his head and if these guys do what I think they’re going do next weekend, it sounds like he might be interested in fighting one of them.”

UFC 257, the finale to Fight Island Triple Header, features promotional debutant and three-time Bellator champion Chandler against Hooker. The headline bout pits against one another former champion McGregor in a rematch against former interim title-holder Poirier.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) in conversation with UFC president Dana White at the UAE Warriors 15 cage side at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021
Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) in conversation with UFC president Dana White at the UAE Warriors 15 cage side at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, chairman of Palms Sports during the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, chairman of Palms Sports during the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021.
Bruno Machado lands one on Mickael Lebout in the Lightweight title fight at the UAE Warriors 15 on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Bruno Machado lands one on Mickael Lebout in the Lightweight title fight at the UAE Warriors 15 on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Bruno Machado has Mickael Lebout cornered in the Lightweight title fight in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Bruno Machado has Mickael Lebout cornered in the Lightweight title fight in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Russian Rinat Fakhretdinov took just 57 seconds to knock out Canadian Eric Spicely with this stunning right hander in the UAE Warriors 15 Middleweight bout at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Russian Rinat Fakhretdinov took just 57 seconds to knock out Canadian Eric Spicely with this stunning right hander in the UAE Warriors 15 Middleweight bout at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Carlston Harris of Guyana has Russian Saygid Izagakhmaev in a submissive choke in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Carlston Harris of Guyana has Russian Saygid Izagakhmaev in a submissive choke in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Canadian Jesse Arnett on the attack against Algerian Elias Boudegzdame in the Catchweight 64kg in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Canadian Jesse Arnett on the attack against Algerian Elias Boudegzdame in the Catchweight 64kg in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Bruno Machado receives his award from chairman of Palms Sports Abdulmunam Al Hashemi in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Bruno Machado receives his award from chairman of Palms Sports Abdulmunam Al Hashemi in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Muin Gafurov of Tajikistan lands a flying knee on Walter Zamora of Costa Rica in the featherweight in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Muin Gafurov of Tajikistan lands a flying knee on Walter Zamora of Costa Rica in the featherweight in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Portuguese Leandro Gomes receives his award from Palms Sports managing director Fouad Darwish after his win against Moroccan Mohamed Karim in the Catchweight 64kg in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
Portuguese Leandro Gomes receives his award from Palms Sports managing director Fouad Darwish after his win against Moroccan Mohamed Karim in the Catchweight 64kg in the UAE Warriors 15 at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena on Friday, January 15, 2021. Courtesy UAE Warriors
While you're here
While you're here
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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.”

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

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