Hassan al Rumaithi feels he is carrying the future of his sport in this country on his muscular shoulders.
The first Emirati professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter takes centre stage tonight at the inaugural Abu Dhabi Fighting Championship (ADFC) as he goes fist-to-fist with the 32-year-old Italian Massimiliano Pecchia.
Al Rumaithi is 26 and this will be only his third MMA fight - "the first big one", he says - and while he has spent two months training twice a day, he admits to being as nervous as he is excited. "This is my first big competition and I feel a lot of pressure, yes, because I am the only local fighter and it is taking place in Abu Dhabi," he says.
"A lot of young guys will be watching me, wanting me to win, so they can begin training too."
MMA visibility has expanded locally of late, with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 112: Invincible event in March having provided the Middle East's first live taste of the sport. Some 11,000 people watched the bouts at a purpose-built arena at Abu Dhabi's Yas Island. It was also beamed to millions of homes around the world. .
With a strong interest in the Emirates in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, it is little surprise that MMA, which combines stand-up fighting techniques with wrestling, jiu-jitsu and judo, is becoming popular among Emiratis.
ADFC, which will have a Dh1million (US$272,200) purse for the three events, will allow local fighters, Emirati and expatriate, to compete for the first time at a professional level with fighters from overseas.
Vali Lifei, al Rumaithi's coach, also trains two other Emiratis, whom he expects will fight on the second ADFC event later this year.
"I saw him [al Rumaithi] striking and recognised his potential," Lifei says. "When I asked several students if they were interested in MMA, he was the only one to say yes. The others were afraid."
Lifei and several other Brazilian coaches have been working with al Rumaithi ever since. They say they have seen a change in his attitude as well as his skill.
"I have fought all my life and my heart has never beaten as hard as I expect it will when he enters that cage," Lifei says. "I really want him to win. He deserves it."
Without the usual motivating factors fighters cite in other countries, such as an opportunity to earn money, respect and a better life, al Rumaithi says his motivating force is simply a love of the sport. He hopes his performance at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre this evening will inspire others to participate in MMA.
"I don't have a lot of people to train with," he explains.
"The sport is still very new here. I hope with this tournament that a lot of people will come, watch the fight and feel inspired to take up the sport."
He will have at least a small cheering section in his corner. Al Rumaithi's family and friends, many of whom were initially concerned about him taking up MMA, will attend tonight's event.
"Most didn't understand why I wanted to do it or what the purpose was," he says. "They would say it is not a sport, it is just fighting. Now they are very supportive."
This will be al Rumaithi's first fight on home soil - the prior two were in the Netherlands, where he won once and lost once. Al Rumaithi believes Abu Dhabi's interest in the UFC and regular coverage on television have helped to educate people about mixed martial arts.
The presence of world-class fighters such as Anderson Silva in the city also gave al Rumaithi (who cites the Brazilian-born UFC middleweight champion among his heroes) an opportunity to train with the champion and his team for three days.
One of Silva's boxing coaches has remained in the country to continue preparing al Rumaithi for his fight. The young man knows little about his opponent, aside from one video of him fighting which he found on YouTube.
"He is a beginner, like me, so finding information is difficult," al Rumaithi says. "At this stage it is important to focus on your own fight plan and your own strengths."
@Email:loatway@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How Voiss turns words to speech
The device has a screen reader or software that monitors what happens on the screen
The screen reader sends the text to the speech synthesiser
This converts to audio whatever it receives from screen reader, so the person can hear what is happening on the screen
A VOISS computer costs between $200 and $250 depending on memory card capacity that ranges from 32GB to 128GB
The speech synthesisers VOISS develops are free
Subsequent computer versions will include improvements such as wireless keyboards
Arabic voice in affordable talking computer to be added next year to English, Portuguese, and Spanish synthesiser
Partnerships planned during Expo 2020 Dubai to add more languages
At least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness
More than 90 per cent live in developing countries
The Long-term aim of VOISS to reach the technology to people in poor countries with workshops that teach them to build their own device
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.”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
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
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
