Unlike many sports, Mixed Martial Arts doesn't have a defined "season", but the UFC's annual December pay-per-view shows always have the air of an end-of-year extravaganza about them, and Saturday's event in Las Vegas is no different.
UFC 245 features a triple-header of world title fights with the organisation's welterweight, featherweight and women's bantamweight titles on the line on a huge night at the T-Mobile Arena.
The main event features a bona fide grudge match for the UFC welterweight title, as reigning champion Kamaru Usman looks to complete the first successful defence of his crown against the controversial former interim champion, Colby Covington.
Over the past two years Covington has reinvented himself as Mixed Martial Arts' pre-eminent troll character, a Donald Trump-loving persona whose penchant for trash talk has seen him earn visits to the White House to meet the US President, while at the same time becoming the most polarising fighter in the UFC.
The talented former All-American collegiate wrestler is riding a seven-fight win streak in the UFC heading into Saturday's title clash, but his impressive performances inside the octagon have been overshadowed by his rhetoric away from the cage, and in particular his unsavory comments made about Usman's deceased former manager Glenn Robinson, who died of a heart attack in 2018.
His comment that Robinson would be "watching from hell" prompted Robinson's family to issue a statement condemning Covington's trash talk, saying: “We understand the excitement of building up hype before a fight, but we are sure Colby Covington can get press for his coming fight on his own merit and without spewing hateful words towards our father."
Despite Covington's constant verbal jabs, defending champion Usman has remained calm and relaxed in the build-up to the fight, and cut a chilled-out figure at a fighter Q&A session. And, after hearing the Covington had admitted in a prior interview that his over-the-top persona was – as many had expected – an act, Usman simply explained that it showed a weakness in the challenger's psyche.
"If you're putting on an act, you've gotta sell that," he said. "But that just lets me know there's a weakness.
"Come on, let's dissect this thing. You're already finding a way out: 'Once I get beat up on Saturday, don't hate me because I was just putting on an act because they were going to cut me'.
"He's doing that, but do you realise when I fought (then-UFC welterweight champion) Tyron Woodley here in this same building, he showed up at somebody's open workout? If you want to be the champ, you go to show up at the champ's open workout and try to distract them, right? Why did he show up at mine?
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Best photos from UFC's return to Abu Dhabi for UFC 242
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"Because he knew it was gonna happen. He knew I was the most dangerous guy in the division and he knew that was the fight he didn't want.
"So he's already been showing his cards for a long time. Why am I so relaxed? I'm relaxed because I know what I'm gonna do."
The simmering tension between Usman and Covington will serve as a stark contrast with the night's co-main event, as two rather more laid-back stars face off for the UFC's 145-pound title.
Reigning featherweight king Max Holloway hasn't lost a featherweight fight since 2013, but faces a strong test of his championship status against surging Australian contender Alexander Volkanovski, whose six-year, 17-fight win streak – including recent wins over longtime contender Chad Mendes and former world champion Jose Aldo – has catapulted him into a title fight this weekend.
The pair are both respectful of each other's abilities, and the common consensus is they may need all five rounds to decide a victor on Saturday night.
The third title fight of the night will see the greatest female athlete in the history of the sport look to maintain her position as a two-division world champion as Brazil's Amanda Nunes puts her women's bantamweight title on the line against the Netherlands' former UFC women's featherweight champion Germane de Randamie.
Nunes, who holds the UFC's women's titles at both bantamweight and featherweight, has defeated every woman to ever hold UFC championship gold at both 135 and 145 pounds, including a pair of first-round knockout wins against former UFC female superstars Ronda Rousey and Cris "Cyborg" Justino.
Now "The Lioness" will look to register a second win over de Randamie following her victory in their first meeting back in 2013.
Ashes 2019 schedule
August 1-5: First Test, Edgbaston
August 14-18: Second Test, Lord's
August 22-26: Third Test, Headingley
September 4-8: Fourth Test, Old Trafford
September 12-16: Fifth Test, Oval
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO
Newcastle United 1 (Carroll 82')
Leicester City 2 (Maddison 55', Tielemans 72')
Man of the match James Maddison (Leicester)
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
The specs
Engine 60kwh FWD
Battery Rimac 120kwh Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (LiNiMnCoO2) chemistry
Power 204hp Torque 360Nm
Price, base / as tested Dh174,500
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPyppl%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEstablished%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAntti%20Arponen%20and%20Phil%20Reynolds%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20financial%20services%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2418.5%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEmployees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20150%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20series%20A%2C%20closed%20in%202021%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20venture%20capital%20companies%2C%20international%20funds%2C%20family%20offices%2C%20high-net-worth%20individuals%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February 9 v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final
