On Sunday, the UFC brings down the curtain on its inaugural Fight Island with UFC Fight Night 3 taking place in Abu Dhabi. Here’s the details.
What is it?
UFC Fight Night 3, the fourth and final event of the world's lead mixed martial arts organisation to be staged this month on Yas Island. It follows the hugely successful opening UFC 251 on July 12, and two other shows on July 16 and last Sunday. Fight Island was created by the UFC initially to allow its international athletes to compete during the coronavirus pandemic. Originally expected to be a one-off series, UFC president Dana White says the organisation will continue to host its international fighters in the capital.
When is it?
Sunday July 26, from 1am. Main card starts at 4am.
Where is it?
Flash Forum, which has been redesigned to stage the UFC this month. Because of the public health guidelines in place, the event takes place with no paying spectators in attendance. Flash Forum sits inside the UFC "safe zone", an 11-kilometre stretch open only to those connected with the running of Fight Island. The safe zone is said to house around 2,000 people.
Who is fighting?
The final roster is absolutely packed with talent, with 15 scheduled fights tying the record for most bouts on a single UFC card. Fight Night 3 is headlined by Robert Whittaker's eagerly anticipated clash with the dangerous Darren Till, in a middleweight match-up that pits against one another the former champion and a serious title contender.
Whittaker, the No 1-ranked challenger in the division, has not fought since losing his belt to Israel Adesanya last October, while Till proved a move up in weight class was no obstacle by defeating Kelvin Gastelum a month later. Whoever wins on Sunday is expected to get a title shot next.
In the co-main event, light-heavyweight luminaries Shogun Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira close out their famous trilogy with a third meeting – 15 years after the first. Former champion Rua is 2-0 up, with Nogueira confirming on Tuesday that this will be his final fight in the UFC.
Elsewhere on the card, Swede Alexander Gustafsson makes his long-awaited comeback by jumping up to the heavyweight division against former title-holder Fabricio Werdum, while former strawweight champion Carla Esparza attempts to inflict Marina Rodriguez’s first defeat.
And look out for the fast-rising Khamzat Chimaev, who’s seeking to set a record for fastest back-to-back UFC wins. The Swedish resident made his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 1 on July 16, dominating John Phillips at middleweight. He moves down to welterweight on Sunday to take on newcomer Rhys McKee.
Full fight card (subject to change):
Main Card
Robert Whittaker v Darren Till
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira v Mauricio Rua
Alexander Gustafsson v Fabricio Werdum
Carla Esparza v Marina Rodriguez
Gadzhimurad Antigulov v Paul Craig
Alex Oliveira v Peter Sobotta
Khamzat Chimaev v Rhys McKee
Preliminary card
Jai Herbert v Francisco Trinaldo
Nicolas Dalby v Jesse Ronson
Tom Aspinall v Jake Collier
Movsar Evloev v Mike Grundy
Tanner Boser v Raphael Pessoa
Bethe Correia v Pannie Kianzad
Ramazan Emeev v Niklas Stolze
John Castaneda v Nathaniel Wood
How to watch?
Fight fans in the UAE can catch the early action on Abu Dhabi Sports 2, with the main card available only through the UFC Arabia app.
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Company%20profile
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: SimpliFi
Started: August 2021
Founder: Ali Sattar
Based: UAE
Industry: Finance, technology
Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Tewellah by Nawal Zoghbi is out now.
RESULT
Arsenal 2
Sokratis Papastathopoulos 45 4'
Eddie Ntkeiah 51'
Portsmouth 0
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Age 26
Born May 17, 1991
Height 1.80 metres
Birthplace Sydney, Australia
Residence Eastbourne, England
Plays Right-handed
WTA titles 3
Prize money US$5,761,870 (Dh21,162,343.75)
Wins / losses 312 / 181
Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
The specs
Engine: 1.4-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 180hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm at 3,00rpm
Transmission: 5-speed sequential auto
Price: From Dh139,995
On sale: now
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
No.6 Collaborations Project
Ed Sheeran (Atlantic)
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The%20specs
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The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
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ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
