• Conor McGregor hit the scales at 155lbs exactly. Getty Images
    Conor McGregor hit the scales at 155lbs exactly. Getty Images
  • Dustin Poirier made the lightweight limit of 156lbs. Getty Images
    Dustin Poirier made the lightweight limit of 156lbs. Getty Images
  • Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2 weigh-in staredown. Getty Images
    Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2 weigh-in staredown. Getty Images
  • Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2 weigh-in staredown. Getty Images
    Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor 2 weigh-in staredown. Getty Images
  • Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier both successfully made weight on Friday ahead of their UFC 257 main event. Getty Images
    Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier both successfully made weight on Friday ahead of their UFC 257 main event. Getty Images
  • Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor face off during the UFC 257 weigh-in at Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Getty Images
    Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor face off during the UFC 257 weigh-in at Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. Getty Images
  • Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor pose for photos during the UFC 257 weigh-in. Getty
    Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor pose for photos during the UFC 257 weigh-in. Getty
  • Fans cheer for Conor McGregor during the weigh-in. Getty Images
    Fans cheer for Conor McGregor during the weigh-in. Getty Images
  • Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor go nose to nose. Getty Images
    Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor go nose to nose. Getty Images
  • Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor get into a fighting stance during the weigh-in. Getty Images
    Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor get into a fighting stance during the weigh-in. Getty Images
  • Conor McGregor poses on the scale. Getty Images
    Conor McGregor poses on the scale. Getty Images
  • Dustin Poirier flexes while on the scale. Getty Images
    Dustin Poirier flexes while on the scale. Getty Images
  • Conor McGregor arrives for the UFC 257 weigh-in. Getty Images
    Conor McGregor arrives for the UFC 257 weigh-in. Getty Images
  • Andrew Sanchez and Makhmud Muradov of Uzbekistan face off. Getty Images
    Andrew Sanchez and Makhmud Muradov of Uzbekistan face off. Getty Images
  • Amir Albazi of Sweden and Zhalgas Zhumagulov of Kazakhstan face off. Getty Images
    Amir Albazi of Sweden and Zhalgas Zhumagulov of Kazakhstan face off. Getty Images
  • Nik Lentz and Movsar Evloev of Russia face off. Getty Images
    Nik Lentz and Movsar Evloev of Russia face off. Getty Images
  • Khalil Rountree and Marcin Prachnio of Poland face off. Getty Images
    Khalil Rountree and Marcin Prachnio of Poland face off. Getty Images
  • Julianna Pena and Sara McMann face off. Getty Images
    Julianna Pena and Sara McMann face off. Getty Images
  • Brad Tavares and Antonio Carlos Junior of Brazil face off. Getty Images
    Brad Tavares and Antonio Carlos Junior of Brazil face off. Getty Images
  • Arman Tsarukyan of Armenia and Matt Frevola face off. Getty Images
    Arman Tsarukyan of Armenia and Matt Frevola face off. Getty Images
  • Marina Rodriguez of Brazil and Amanda Ribas of Brazil face off. Getty Images
    Marina Rodriguez of Brazil and Amanda Ribas of Brazil face off. Getty Images
  • Jessica Eye and Joanne Calderwood of Scotland face off. Getty Images
    Jessica Eye and Joanne Calderwood of Scotland face off. Getty Images
  • Dan Hooker of New Zealand and Michael Chandler face off. Getty Images
    Dan Hooker of New Zealand and Michael Chandler face off. Getty Images

UFC 257: Conor McGregor pumped, prepped and promising: 'You're in for a treat' - in pictures


John McAuley
  • English
  • Arabic

Conor McGregor looked pumped and prepped ahead of his eagerly anticipated comeback to the octagon in Abu Dhabi, when the Irishman took to the stage for the ceremonial weigh-in at Etihad Arena on Friday.

The former two-weight champion, making his return to the UFC for the first time in more than a year, had earlier in the day been the first to hit the scales at the W Abu Dhabi - Yas Island, coming in at 155lbs on the button.

He faces Dustin Poirier in the headline event at UFC 257 on Sunday, a rematch of their 2014 encounter in which McGregor won by first-round TKO.

Speaking after he bounced around the Etihad Arena stage while being serenaded by a vocal support, McGregor told the crowd: “Thank you so much for the support everyone. I’m so excited to be back. You’re in for a treat tomorrow night. Let’s go.”

Former interim lightweight champion Poirier, who had that afternoon weighed in one pound heavier than his opponent, followed McGregor by saying: “My whole career has aligned me for tomorrow night, and I’m going to be victorious and get my fan raised by any means necessary. I’m going to leave it all out there.”

UFC 257 brings to a close the three-show Fight Island Triple Header in the capital. The card also features the lightweight clash between UFC debutant Michael Chandler and No 6-ranked contender Dan Hooker.

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Temple numbers

Expected completion: 2022

Height: 24 meters

Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people

Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people

First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time

First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres  

Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres

Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor 

The biog

Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia

Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins

Favourite dish: Grilled fish

Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

European arms

Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons.  Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.

Teams in the EHL

White Bears, Al Ain Theebs, Dubai Mighty Camels, Abu Dhabi Storms, Abu Dhabi Scorpions and Vipers

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ETFs explained

Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.

ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.

There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5