UFC president Dana White says he is “beyond excited” by the new deal he is close to completing with Abu Dhabi, describing it as a “total game-changer for all of combat sports, not just the UFC”.
White, in the capital this week for UFC 267, told The National on Friday night that he would be holding meetings before the promotion's latest event on Saturday to finalise the plans, and look to announce the news directly after the fight night concludes at Etihad Arena. White has been teasing “massive, major” plans for Abu Dhabi for the past few months, without giving away any details.
“I’m beyond excited,” he said. “We get this deal done, it’s a total game-changer for all of combat sports, not just the UFC.”
The UFC’s relationship with Abu Dhabi has strengthened considerably since the two parties signed a five-year partnership in April 2019 – the agreement was to stage one major event in the emirate each year through to 2023 – and with the Fight Island series introduced last year in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our relationship couldn’t be better.” White said on Friday. “I have a big meeting tomorrow and hopefully it’s going to get a lot better. I’m excited to share with everybody what we’re working on here. I’ve just got to get the deal done.
Asked how near to completion the negotiations were, White said: “We’re right there. I’m hoping that I can get it done tomorrow, and not announce everything, but announce a lot of it to you guys on Saturday after the fight.
“The deals that we’re working on, it’s massive. I’ve been calling Abu Dhabi the fight capital of the world because Las Vegas [wimped] out during the pandemic, I’ll say. The moves that we’re making over here and the things that we’re going to do are just going to solidify the fact that that’s this place.
“We’re going to continue to grow this market, look for talent out of this region, grow the fan base over here, and grow the events. Now we have our own arena here, all the pieces are falling into place now for us to start putting on not only massive fights, but international fight week here and lots of other things that we’re working on.”
During the inaugural Fight Island in July last year – the concept was created by White to allow the UFC’s international athletes to compete during the pandemic – White said he had been viewing houses to buy in Abu Dhabi.
On whether he had finally agreed on a purchase, he said: “No, I haven’t bought a house here yet. When I was getting ready to do that it was during the pandemic. I haven’t been here in nine or 10 months.
"But that all plays into what’s coming up on Saturday. There’s so much more. Once I can tell you guys everything, you’ll get it.”
Dana White presented with UAE golden visa ahead of UFC 267
On Friday night, White was presented with a UAE golden visa by the Department of Culture and Tourism.
UFC 267 marks the promotion’s return to Abu Dhabi for the first time since January. It features two title bouts: Jan Blachowicz’s light-heavyweight title defence against No 1-ranked contender Glover Teixeira, and the interim bantamweight championship clash between former champion Petr Yan and No 3-ranked challenger Cory Sandhagen.
Other notable bouts on a stacked card include Islam Makhachev against Dan Hooker, and Khamzat Chimaev’s long-awaited return against Li Jingliang.
“Every time I put on an event, I’m trying to put on a big event, so it’s no different,” said White, who described Etihad Arena as a “world-class venue” on a par with the others used to stage the UFC. “But obviously when I come here, we come here and we want to deliver. Not just a massive card, but a card that really excites the market here.”
White said he is particularly looking forward to Chimaev’s comeback. The Chechen-born Swede was the breakout star of the first Fight Island, when he debuted in the UFC with a victory and then made history for the quickest turnaround between wins, at 10 days. Both bouts, hugely dominant successes, took place during the run in Abu Dhabi. Chimaev then made his Las Vegas bow in September, knocking out veteran Gerald Meerschaert in 17 seconds.
However, he has not fought since following a protracted battle with Covid-19. His professional record sits at 9-0 (3-0 UFC) with all wins coming via finishes.
“I would have to say I’m most excited for the Khamzat fight,” White said. “Because of what happened last time we were here with him. And then he got crushed with Covid. I’m excited to see how he bounces back from that.
Fighters weigh in for UFC 267
“He’s a guy that I think has the potential to be a world champion. So I’m curious to see how he looks tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, Makhachev comes into his lightweight encounter against Hooker with high expectations upon him. The Dagestan native, who rides an eight-fight win streak, is being tipped by many as a future champion of the division. The No-5 ranked contender, 20-1 in pro MMA, was originally slated to fight Rafael Dos Anjos, but the former title-holder withdrew last month through injury. Hooker, sitting one spot below Makhachev in the rankings, stepped in as a replacement one month out from the bout.
Makhachev, 30, is coached by retired teammate and former champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and is hugely popular in Abu Dhabi – he won there in 2019 – and throughout the region. Therefore, the pressure is on to make a statement on Saturday night.
“When you start to climb that ladder you’re going to be a hometown hero somewhere,” White said. “And you’re always going to have to go face the big crowds, the unbelievable pressure. You heard him saying, ‘I need to put a stamp on this one; I need to show everybody that I’m the man and I need to do that with Dan Hooker. He’s the guy that I've got to show the world who I am’.
“And there’s always going to be that pressure. After Hooker, there’s going to be somebody else, whether or not you can become a world champion or one of the all-time greats, each and every time you go out and fight.”
As for New Zealand’s Hooker, White added: “For a guy like Hooker, nobody wants to fight Islam. Nobody wants to fight this guy. He just fought [Nasrat Haqparast in Las Vegas on September 25] and he could have easily said, ‘Listen, I want some time and go spend with my family, get a proper camp in, train for Islam, do this and that’.
Fighters square off ahead of UFC 267
“He jumps on the opportunity to fight Islam. Doesn’t hide from it, jumps on it. Those are the kind of guys we love around here.
“And that’s the other side of it, too. For every hometown guy there’s a guy who’s going into enemy territory or whatever you want to call it. And that’s another thing Dan Hooker walked into and is willing to do. The guy’s an absolutes stud.”
Given the obvious regional appeal Chimaev and Makhachev hold – both are Muslim – White said the preference will remain for both to compete in Abu Dhabi whenever possible.
“Those type of guys we’ll always have on a card when we’re here, but they’re also guys that I want to move around,” he said. “I want those guys to fight in Vegas, I want those to fight all over the world.
“Obviously they’re massive in this region. But these are guys who have become stars worldwide. That makes them double important. They’re big over here, big in Russia and big all around the rest of the world.”
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Tathoor, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 1,000m
Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
Winner: Aiz Alawda, Fernando Jara, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 2,000m
Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohammed Daggash
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
Winner: Somoud, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Al Jazi, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 2
(Martial 30', McTominay 90 6')
Manchester City 0
SCHEDULE
Thursday, December 6
08.00-15.00 Technical scrutineering
15.00-17.00 Extra free practice
Friday, December 7
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 1
15.30 BRM F1 qualifying
Saturday, December 8
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 2
15.30 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
Premier League results
Saturday
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Arsenal 1
Bournemouth 0 Manchester City 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Huddersfield Town 0
Burnley 1 Crystal Palace 3
Manchester United 3 Southampton 2
Wolverhampton Wanderers 2 Cardiff City 0
West Ham United 2 Newcastle United 0
Sunday
Watford 2 Leicester City 1
Fulham 1 Chelsea 2
Everton 0 Liverpool 0
WHAT%20ARE%20THE%20PRODUCTS%20WITHIN%20THE%20THREE%20MAJOR%20CATEGORIES%3F
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAdvanced%20materials%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20specifically%20engineered%20to%20exhibit%20novel%20or%20enhanced%20properties%2C%20that%20confer%20superior%20performance%20relative%20to%20conventional%20materials%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAdvanced%20components%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20includes%20semiconductor%20components%2C%20such%20as%20microprocessors%20and%20other%20computer%20chips%2C%20and%20computer%20vision%20components%20such%20as%20lenses%20and%20image%20sensors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAdvanced%20products%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20includes%20personal%20electronics%2C%20smart%20home%20devices%20and%20space%20technologies%2C%20along%20with%20industry-enabling%20products%20such%20as%20robots%2C%203D%20printing%20equipment%20and%20exoskeletons%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Strategy%26amp%3B%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
Dubai World Cup nominations
UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.
Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 0
Manchester City 2
Bernardo Silva 54', Sane 66'
Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alaan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Parthi%20Duraisamy%20and%20Karun%20Kurien%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%247%20million%20raised%20in%20total%20%E2%80%94%20%242.5%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20and%20%244.5%20million%20in%20a%20pre-series%20A%20round%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
