UFC 242: Dustin Poirier gives tearful press conference after loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi


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Dustin Poirier broke down in tears following his defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov and revealed he had believed it was his “destiny” to become the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.

The American tapped out in the third round of the main event of UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi, in what was one of the most anticipated mixed martial arts fights of the year.

In a press conference after the match, Poirier struggled to maintain his composure, and said he would relive the fight in his head for the rest of his life, wondering if he could have done more to inflict a first defeat on the undefeated Russian champion.

Though initially downcast but composed when he began the press conference, he broke down in response to a question about Nurmagomedov’s post-fight offer to help his opponent’s charity raise money by auctioning merchandise. Dana White, the UFC president, offered to match whatever Nurmagomedov raises.

“You know, that’s great, because it’s going to help a lot of people,” Poirier, whose charity, The Good Fight Foundation, helps to raise money for good causes, said. “We’re building a water well in Uganda, so I’m sure with the memorabilia sold we’re going to reach the goal.”

But wiping away tears, he added: “But I wanted to leave today the world champ. I just let myself down. But I appreciate them helping out the charity; it’s been growing and I’m very grateful for that.”

Later, he said: “I was just so prepared, this one really hurts. I just didn’t do enough and I’ve got to live with it for the rest of my life.”

On his future plans, the Louisiana native said he would discuss his next move with his wife before making a decision. “It’s tough to say right now, this was my 41st fight tonight,” he said. “I’m only 30 years old, I’ve just been through so much in my fighting career, I don’t know what’s next. Honestly, the last 10 weeks, in terms of training camp and preparing for this fight, I thought the stars were aligning and this was my night.

“I thought this was destiny. I don’t want to keep crying in front of you guys but this just means a lot to me. I just thought I was going to fly back to the United States the undisputed champ, so this really hurts.”

Although he lost the first two rounds, Poirier appeared to have Nurmagomedov in trouble with a guillotine choke in the third, and had hurt him with a right hand in the second. He said he his gameplan was to take the later rounds but admitted he had struggled to come to terms with his opponent's skill, movement and balance.

“The guillotine was really deep,” he said. “For the rest of my life I’m going to look back and wonder why I didn’t jump full guard with it. I should have jumped full guard so he couldn’t roll out and relieve the pressure.

“I’m familiar with adversity, I’ll just have to live the rest of my life asking myself if I could have done more. If I could have maybe escaped some of those takedowns, if I could have pushed harder, those are the questions that will haunt me.”

He also apologised if anyone had been offended by describing Abu Dhabi as “enemy territory” in the build-up, a reference to Nurmagomedov’s strong following in the region. He said the heat in the venue had not affected his performance.

“This is the smoothest, most welcoming fight week I’ve ever had in my career,” he said. “I’ve been to cities all over, different countries, and Abu Dhabi was amazing, the people were great, everywhere I went the service was great. Which added to me thinking it was all coming together.”

Where to submit a sample

Volunteers of all ages can submit DNA samples at centres across Abu Dhabi, including: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (Adnec), Biogenix Labs in Masdar City, NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City, NMC Royal Medical Centre, Abu Dhabi, NMC Royal Women's Hospital, Bareen International Hospital, Al Towayya in Al Ain, NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain

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Director: Joyce Bernal

Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa

3/5

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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.

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Lewis Hamilton in 2018

Australia 2nd; Bahrain 3rd; China 4th; Azerbaijan 1st; Spain 1st; Monaco 3rd; Canada 5th; France 1st; Austria DNF; Britain 2nd; Germany 1st; Hungary 1st; Belgium 2nd; Italy 1st; Singapore 1st; Russia 1st; Japan 1st; United States 3rd; Mexico 4th

Company info

Company name: Entrupy 

Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist

Based: New York, New York

Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.  

Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius. 

Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place. 

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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

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Ain Dubai in numbers

126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure

1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch

16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.

9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.

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First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974  
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
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  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
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*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

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1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

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Saudi Arabia

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South Korea

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Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458. 

Specs

Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric

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Price: From Dh439,000

Available: Now

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Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Sole survivors
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Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James

Three and a half stars

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The bio

Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district

Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school

Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family

His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people

Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned

Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates

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