Max Holloway said he delivered the best performance of his storied career against Calvin Kattar in Abu Dhabi early on Sunday, as the former featherweight champion strengthened his case for a trilogy clash with current belt-holder Alexander Volkanovski.
Ranked the division’s No 1 contender, Holloway dominated sixth-placed Kattar at UFC Fight Night in the capital to cruise to a unanimous decision, concluding the first event to be held at Etihad Arena in real style. The opening of three shows on Fight Island "Triple Header", it marked the first time since March that fans have been able to attend a UFC event.
Holloway took the bout 50-43, 50-43, 50-42 and in the process set a number of records, including for significant strikes landed (445, previous 290) and significant strike attempts (744, previous 515). At one point late on, the Hawaiian turned away from Kattar to scream to the broadcast team cage-side that he was the best boxer in the UFC – a reference to pre-fight predictions that his opponent would out-perform him when it came to trading blows.
Asked if it was his best display to date in his 24 UFC fights, Holloway said: “For sure. I was having the time of my life, man. I got to talk to [colour commentator Daniel Cormier] a little bit in there, let him know I'm coming for his job. ... your guys' jobs ain't safe, either. I want it all, baby."
The victory returned Holloway to winning ways after successive point-losses to Volkanovski, with the most recent being at the original Fight Island in Abu Dhabi in July. However, both were considered contentious.
The Australian is set to take on Brian Ortega in late March, and has repeatedly rejected talk of a third match-up against Holloway.
“He doesn’t want a tougher fight guys,” said Holloway, whose nickname is ‘Blessed’. “Let that sink in. He didn’t say he wants a tougher challenge. He knows who’s the toughest challenge; he knows it’s me. At the end of the day I’m not going to force anyone to fight me. I’m going to stay ready, do whatever I’ve got to do.
“We’ll see what happens. I can’t speak to him. I don’t know what will happen. When we get faced with the opportunity then we see. To get my first title, I had to win 10 fights and an interim [title]. Hard work? I ain't scared of no hard work. You know the saying: to be the best, you've go to beat the best. And the best is 'Blessed,' baby, so bring them all."
Speaking just beforehand, UFC president Dana White said Holloway deserved another shot at Volkanovski.
“We have to. I mean, when you’re the champion, you have the top five guys in the world gunning at you. When you’re the No 1 contender in the world, you’ve got the top 10 guys in the world. Sometimes, No 8 is more dangerous than No 3.
“Tonight, he fought a bad dude that a lot of people thought was going to beat him. He went out and treated him like No 6, so he did what he needed to do in spectacular fashion tonight. He deserves to fight Volkanovski again."
On the reigning champion, White said: “Listen, he’s got this Ortega fight coming up. I think for a guy like him to watch this fight tonight when he’s the No 1 contender, the way that he looked, Volkanovski can’t even deny Max deserves another shot.”
The UFC aired on ABC network in the United States for the first time and it was also the first event since 2018 to be broadcast on network television. ABC used to have a strong tradition for hosting the most prominent names in boxing.
"Maybe Muhammad Ali put a little bit of spirit in me, I don't know,” Holloway said, in reference to his ducking and diving when he turned away from Kattar. “That was a little bit of Muhammad right there. I was in the zone.
“I felt great. Just blessed to be on ABC, blessed to have fans back, blessed to be the first card of the year, blessed to be here in Etihad Arena – the first time – to be the first main event and send new numbers. I found out I hit him 700 times or something. That’s really cool. I was in my bag today."
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Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
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LA LIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Leganes v Getafe (12am)
Levante v Alaves (4pm)
Real Madrid v Sevilla (7pm)
Osasuna v Valladolid (9.30pm)
Sunday
Eibar v Atletico Madrid (12am)
Mallorca v Valencia (3pm)
Real Betis v Real Sociedad (5pm)
Villarreal v Espanyol (7pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (9.30pm)
Monday
Barcelona v Granada (12am)
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier
Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.
Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar
Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
