Islam Makhachev has called for a lightweight title bout with Charles Oliveira in Abu Dhabi later this year after the Brazilian defeated Justin Gaethje in spectacular fashion at UFC 274 early on Sunday.
Oliveira, who was stripped of the belt having missed weight on Friday, rebounded with a scintillating win in the headline event at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, triumphing by first-round submission. The victory, coming after both fighters had been knocked down during a frantic opening three minutes, extended Oliveira’s win streak to 11.
Having missed the 155lb weight limit by half a pound, Oliveira had to vacate the title, although the UFC said he would be immediately installed as the No 1-ranked contender should he deliver a victory on Sunday.
Following Oliveira’s win, No 3-ranked challenger Makhachev made his feelings clear on what he wanted to happen next, tweeting: “Congrats Charles and see you in Abu Dhabi for the vacant [title].”
The world’s lead mixed martial arts promotion is booked to return to the capital on October 22 with UFC 281 at Etihad Arena. The card had yet to be confirmed.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former lightweight champion who retired undefeated and now coaches Makhachev, also called for his long-time teammate to take on Oliveira.
Having already tweeted in his native Russian, Nurmagomedov then posted in English directly to UFC president Dana White, saying: “You have no other choice but make Oliveira vs Islam fight in Abu Dhabi 22 October. Perfect date, perfect location. Perfect opponents with perfect winning streaks 10 vs 11.”
At the post-event press conference, UFC president Dana White was asked if he wanted to make the cancelled bout between Makhachev and Beneil Dariush next. That fight, which pits against one another the No 3- and No 4-ranked challengers at lightweight, was postponed in February following an injury to Dariush.
“I do,” White said. “But [commentator] Joe Rogan just grabbed me in the hallway and told me not to.”
White did say, however, that the winner of the potential Makhachev-Dariush encounter would determine the No 1-contender spot. When pressed again later on that match-up, White said: “When I get up here after a fight like tonight I’m not even thinking of that stuff. I don’t know tonight.
"But I’ll give you this, I’ll be honest with you: I get it. Listen, who doesn’t want to see Dariush and Islam? It’s a great fight, it’s a killer fight. I would love to see that fight to see who the No 1 contender is.
“But I’m not going to lie: after tonight, I wouldn’t mind doing Islam versus Oliveira either. We’ll see what happens. We’ll get in the [UFC matchmaker meeting] and argue about it and figure it out.”
Makhachev, who in February defeated Dariush replacement Bobby Green by first-round TKO in Las Vegas, had told The National in the build-up to that fight: “I’m going to tell the UFC and Dana and everybody that, ‘Hey, this is my 10-fight win streak. I deserve the title fight’. I’m going to be in Abu Dhabi, waiting for the champion there.”
Speaking afterwards, the Dagestani reiterated: “I want to fight in Abu Dhabi. Because I have many of my friends, my friends who stay outside because they cannot come to the [UFC] Apex [in Las Vegas]. I want to fight for the title in Abu Dhabi when all my fans can come and support me inside.”
Makhachev, 30, has competed in the emirate twice previously, sealing victory against Davi Ramos by unanimous decision at UFC 242 in September 2019 before defeating Dan Hooker by first-round submission at UFC 267 last October. His solitary loss in 23 professional MMA bouts was almost seven years ago.
Oliveira, though, appears to have other plans to taking on Makhachev next, with the stripped champion calling out former two-division title-holder Conor McGregor. Oliveira said also that he wants his next UFC bout to take place in Brazil.
UAE Tour 2020
Stage 1: The Pointe Palm Jumeirah - Dubai Silicon Oasis, 148km
Stage 2: Hatta - Hatta Dam, 168km
Stage 3: Al Qudra Cycle Track - Jebel Hafeet, 184km
Stage 4: Zabeel Park - Dubai City Walk, 173km
Stage 5: Al Ain - Jebel Hafeet, 162km
Stage 6: Al Ruwais - Al Mirfa, 158km
Stage 7: Al Maryah Island - Abu Dhabi Breakwater, 127km
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
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)
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
A Long Way Home by Peter Carey
Faber & Faber
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 0 Wolves 2 (Jimenez 3', Saiss 6)
Man of the Match Romain Saiss (Wolves)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
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
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
