Justin Gaethje captured the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 249, then waved away the belt and called for a fight with undisputed champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Gaethje stepped in on just one month's notice to replace Nurmagomedov against former interim champion Tony Ferguson at the twice-rearranged event, which took place behind closed doors at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.
The event carried additional significance, with it being the first major sporting event in the United States since the country launched quarantine and social distancing measures due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
But the lack of fans in the stands certainly didn't affect action inside the octagon, as the fighters put on a thrilling night that will live long in the memory.
The biggest winner of the night was undoubtedly Gaethje, whose reputation as a wild brawler with a "live by the sword, die by the sword" approach to his fights aptly matched his fighting moniker, "The Highlight".
But despite facing a fellow crowd pleaser in Ferguson, Gaethje didn't come out all guns blazing as seen in the past. Instead, he methodically, carefully yet still spectacularly, broke down Ferguson with a seemingly non-stop barrage of heavy punches mixed in with leg kicks, as he dominated much of the contest.
"I haven’t had time to soak it in. I can’t wait to watch the fight, I was so good tonight," Gaethje said in the post-event press conference. "I truly just believed in my skills and in my coaches and what a great time I just had.
"It was a great challenge and I’m very happy right now, I can’t wait to go home and see my family. I know how much happiness I just brought to people and that feels great.
"This is what I was born to do. You get one life and I’m living a crazy one and it’s so awesome. I can’t wait for that challenge, win or lose, I’m going to give it 100 per cent."
There was a brief scare in the final seconds of the second round, when he was dropped by a massive Ferguson uppercut as the buzzer sounded, but that slip-up aside, Gaethje delivered the finest performance of his career to capture his first UFC title.
Eventually, the sheer volume of strikes proved too much in the fifth round for a bloodied, battered Ferguson, who backed away shaking his head after a stiff Gaethje jab to the face. Referee Herb Dean immediately stepped in and waved off the contest, and Gaethje was declared the new interim champion.
But rather than celebrate with the belt, Gaethje waved away his new possession, telling UFC commentator Joe Rogan he was waiting for "the real thing". He then went on to state his intention to challenge Nurmagomedov for the undisputed title later this year.
"Khabib is the best in the world," he said. "I've been working since I was four for challenges like this, and I'm happy to represent the United States of America against Dagestan, or Russia's best. He's 28-0, and there's no other challenge I want right now. I want to fight him."
'Triple C' retains title, announces retirement
In the night's co-main event, Henry Cejudo defended his UFC bantamweight title by claiming a second round stoppage win over two-time former champion Dominick Cruz, then announced his retirement from MMA.
Despite conceding a significant height and reach advantage to Cruz, Cejudo used a solid gameplan, utilising a host of leg kicks, to slow the constant movement of the former champion before finding a home for his hands as the round progressed.
Cruz, who was returning to action after three and a half years away from the cage, looked in remarkably good shape as he stayed mobile and connected with some solid shots on the counter.
An accidental clash of heads left Cejudo opened up, but the cut wasn't in a problematic spot and the champion was able to continue without fuss
When the action restarted, Cejudo connected perfectly with a huge knee that dropped Cruz to the seat of his pants. It was the moment the champion had waited for, and he swarmed the challenger and unloaded a barrage of strikes to force referee Keith Petersen to step in and wave off the contest with just two seconds left in the round.
"I'm a chameleon, I can adjust. We stuck to the gameplan, and that's all she wrote," Cejudo said. "I"m ruthless. I may be cringey, corny, but boy can I fight. I am the greatest combat sports athlete of all time."
Cejudo then announced his decision to retire from the sport.
"I'm retiring tonight," he told commentator Joe Rogan. "I'm 33 years old, I'm happy with my career. Uncle Dana, I want say thank you for everything, you're the man. Everybody here, thank you so much. 'Triple C's' out. You guys don't have to hear [from me] no more."
Ngannou sends a terrifying statement
There were also potential title implications in the last non-title fight of the night, as heavyweight wrecking machine Francis Ngannou obliterated the previously unbeaten knockout artist Jairzinho Rozenstruik in just 20 seconds of their de-facto title eliminator.
Rozenstruik had called for a fight with Ngannou, but was knocked cold by a huge left hand in Ngannou's first punching combination of the fight. It left no doubt over the identity of the man who is next in line to fight for the heavyweight title once champion Stipe Miocic and former two-weight champion Daniel Cormier settle their world title trilogy later this year.
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
SPECS
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Barbie
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
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UAE%20SQUAD
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Pakistanis%20at%20the%20ILT20%20
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
How%20I%20connect%20with%20my%20kids%20when%20working%20or%20travelling
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Match info
Uefa Nations League Group B:
England v Spain, Saturday, 11.45pm (UAE)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Kandahar%20
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
