A top strawweight bout between Marina Rodriguez and Amanda Lemos has been added to UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi.
The match-up – which pits the division’s No 3- and No 8-ranked contenders against each other – is the sixth bout booked for the October 22 card at Etihad Arena.
UFC 280 features two world title fights, headlined by Charles Oliveira versus Islam Makhachev in a clash for the vacant lightweight belt.
The UFC confirmed Rodriguez-Lemos on Monday night, with the winner in Abu Dhabi expected to move firmly into title contention.
Rodriguez, the No 3 challenger at strawweight, rides a four-fight win streak, with her most recent victory coming in the split-decision success against Yan Xiaonan at UFC 272 in March.
The Brazilian, 35, has lost only once in her professional career: the narrow split-decision defeat to current strawweight champion Carla Esparza in 2020. Rodriguez’s pro record reads 16-1-2.
Lemos has been in fine form, too, winning six of her past seven in the UFC. The Brazilian, also 35, is coming off this month’s submission victory against Michelle Waterson at UFC Long Island.
Lemos’ defeat in April to former champion Jessica Andrade marked her first loss since 2017. Her record sits at 12-2.
Other than the aforementioned Oliveira-Makhachev, UFC 280 features bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling against former belt-holder TJ Dillashaw, while another former champion in that division, Petr Yan, takes on hugely popular star Sean O’Malley.
Also on the card, in-form lightweights Beneil Dariush and Mateusz Gamrot meet in a potential title eliminator, with fast-rising welterweights Belal Muhammad and Sean Brady go head-to-head in the capital, too.
UFC 280 represents the conclusion to Abu Dhabi Showdown week (October 17-23).
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
The past winners
2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)
2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)
2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
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
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Europe wide
Some of French groups are threatening Friday to continue their journey to Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the European Union, and to meet up with drivers from other countries on Monday.
Belgian authorities joined French police in banning the threatened blockade. A similar lorry cavalcade was planned for Friday in Vienna but cancelled after authorities prohibited it.
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
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NO OTHER LAND
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
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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
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Skoda Superb Specs
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From: Alberta, western Canada
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Member of: International Game Fish Association
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Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
