'See you soon': Conor McGregor hints at being UAE-bound for Dustin Poirier rematch on Fight Island

UFC star Conor McGregor has hinted that his comeback fight against Dustin Poirier will be held in the UAE, if his recent social media activity is anything to go by.

McGregor, who last fought in January when he stopped Donald Cerrone in 40 seconds, will face Poirier in a rematch on January 23 having initially announced his retirement in July.

While the venue and location are yet to be confirmed, UFC president Dana White has previously said that the lightweight clash will be held on Fight Island "if everything goes to plan". There have been two Fight Island series so far, both in Abu Dhabi.

And McGregor has suggested that he is poised to take on Poirier in the UAE after the Irish former two-weight champion took to Twitter to retweet, and comment on, videos of UAE footballer Ali Saleh using his famous strut for a goal celebration.

After a video of Saleh's celebration was brought to his attention, McGregor commented: "See you soon". He then proceeded to retweet a series of posts from the Arabian Gulf League – the UAE's top-tier football league.

McGregor, who has won 22 of his 26 professional MMA fights and holds a 10-2 record in the UFC, fought Poirier in September 2014 at UFC 178 where he stopped the American with a first round TKO.

Poirier, meanwhile, is no stranger to the UAE having fought Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. He was stopped by the lightweight champion via submission in the third round.

The proposed showdown on Fight Island will be the latest high-profile bout to take place as part of a series created in response to the coronavirus pandemic which allowed the UFC's international athletes a location to host fights.

The first Fight Island, in July, was headlined by UFC 251 and the welterweight title bout between champion Kamaru Usman and late call-up Jorge Masvidal, who stepped in last minute after Gilbert Burns tested positive for Covid-19.

Fight Island 2, held across September and October, began with Israel Adesanya's defence of his middleweight title against Paulo Costa at UFC 253 and concluded with UFC 254, where Nurmagomedov retained his lightweight belt with a submission win over Justin Gaethje on October 24. Nurmagomedov, whose father passed away this year, immediately and emotionally announced his retirement from inside the octagon.

Both Fight Island series so far have been held behind closed doors and within a bio-secure bubble on Yas Island. White has expressed his hope that spectators will be able to return in some capacity if and when the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi.

As it stands, there is yet to be any official confirmation from the UFC or local organisers regarding a third Fight Island series in Abu Dhabi.

Conor McGregor, left, beat Dustin Poirier in their first fight in September 2014. AP

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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.”

Profile

Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari

Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.

Number of employees: Over 50

Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised

Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital

Sector of operation: Transport

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