Local organisers have deemed the recently concluded “Return to Fight Island” a huge success, with UFC president Dana White predicting the new Etihad Arena will one day rival the likes of Madison Square Garden.
"Return to Fight Island", a five-event series bookmarked by two pay-per-view shows, represented the UFC's second residency in Abu Dhabi in the space of three months. It finished last week with lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov's memorable victory against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
Beginning with UFC 253 on September 27, the five-week run featured 116 fighters from 32 countries across 58 bouts, including three title clashes. Similar to the inaugural Fight Island in July, the entire operation was staged inside a “safe zone bubble” housing more than 2,500 people. Organisers said more than 20,000 Covid-19 tests were conducted onsite.
The UFC, who last year signed a five-year agreement with Abu Dhabi, are expected to return to the capital early next year, with February mooted. Plans are that the third Fight Island series will take place in its new home, the 18,000-capacity, multipurpose Etihad Arena, instead of at Flash Forum.
“UFC Fight Island and 'Return to Fight Island' truly exceeded even our high expectations,” said Ali Hassan Al Shaiba, executive director of tourism and marketing at the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi.
“To safely and successfully host two mega event series in the space of three months, when much of the world is standing still, is testament to our special relationship with UFC, which continues to grow stronger, break records, raise the bar and deliver bigger and better events every time.
“Our aim for 'Return to Fight Island' was to make it even better than July’s inaugural UFC Fight Island while demonstrating Abu Dhabi’s role in reviving global sports events and our readiness to welcome visitors with the highest health and safety protocols in place. I cannot thank everybody enough for making this happen.
“We have cemented Abu Dhabi’s position as a driving force for the return of live events in a safe environment and underlined why Abu Dhabi is the international home of UFC. How do we build on that now? By giving UFC a brand, new international home in the Etihad Arena.”
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UFC 253 in pictures
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Other than Nurmagomedov's title unification bout at UFC 254, the undefeated Israel Adesanya defended his middleweight crown against Paulo Costa, while Jan Blachowicz dispatched Dominick Reyes to capture the vacant light heavyweight belt. Both those championship fights were staged at UFC 253.
"Return to Fight Island" also featured the first women's main event in the region, with Holly Holm dominating Irene Aldana in the second of the five shows, on October 4.
White said: “It has been incredible experience for everyone involved, from UFC staff, the fighters, my executive team. It is very had to put in words. The level of service here, the attention to detail, the infrastructure, the beach, the hotels, the restaurants. To be in a bubble - there is no better bubble on earth than the one here in Abu Dhabi.
“The sacrifice that the people here have made… to leave their families for so long to make it happen, to the people from Abu Dhabi who worked on this whole thing, I cannot say thank you enough and how much we appreciate it.
“When the pandemic started in the US, we needed a place where we can get the fighters from all over the world to compete… and Abu Dhabi was the place. We have people from every inch of the world fighting in the two stints here on Fight Island."
On the UFC's return, White added: “To come to Abu Dhabi next time, the only way to pull that off is the Etihad Arena - it is the next step. When I toured it, I was telling them that after five to 10 years of events in the place, it will be like Madison Square Garden or the O2. That’s the next step.”
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Exclusive Dana White interview
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
The biog
Name: Timothy Husband
Nationality: New Zealand
Education: Degree in zoology at The University of Sydney
Favourite book: Lemurs of Madagascar by Russell A Mittermeier
Favourite music: Billy Joel
Weekends and holidays: Talking about animals or visiting his farm in Australia
PLAY-OFF%20DRAW
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HERO%20CUP%20TEAMS
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MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')
Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
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Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
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Saturday
5.30pm: Shabab Al Ahli v Al Wahda
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8.15pm: Hatta v Ajman
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Sunday
5.30pm: Kalba v Al Jazira
5.30pm: Fujairah v Al Dhafra
8.15pm: Al Nasr v Al Wasl
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
Bullet%20Train
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Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
The view from The National
The specs
Price: From Dh180,000 (estimate)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged and supercharged in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 320hp @ 5,700rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,200rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.7L / 100km
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
GRAN%20TURISMO
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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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