After coming through arguably the biggest test of his UFC career to date, Belal Muhammad has reiterated his desire to fight for the welterweight title in Abu Dhabi later this year - describing competing in the capital for gold as “perfect”.
The division’s No 4-ranked contender, 34, recorded a dominant, unanimous decision victory against Gilbert Burns on Sunday morning in the co-main event at UFC 288 in New Jersey.
In doing so, Muhammad, who like Burns accepted the bout on short notice, lifted his unbeaten streak to 10 (nine wins, one no contest).
The American has made no secret of his wish to take on current welterweight champion Leon Edwards for the belt in October, when the UFC returns to Abu Dhabi for UFC 294.
Muhammad, a practising Muslim whose parents are Palestinian, has fought twice before in the emirate, the most recent in October, when he outclassed the previously unbeaten Sean Brady at UFC 280.
UFC president Dana White has confirmed Muhammad is in line for a title shot, but only after Edwards defends against No 2-ranked contender Colby Covington. A date or venue for that bout has yet to confirmed, although Edwards said last month that he wanted the next defence of his crown to be in Abu Dhabi in October.
Asked by reporters post-bout on Sunday who and where he wanted to fight for the title, Muhammad said: “Perfect world, we’re fighting in October in Abu Dhabi. That would be amazing. You know there’ll ain’t going to be no booing out there. To fight out there in front of my people would be great.
“But wherever it goes … we can fight in enemy territory, friendly territory, no territory. Just give me a cage and some gloves and I’m ready to throw down.”
As to whether he preferred to face Edwards or Covington, Muhammad replied: “Both of them can get it. I cannot wait, man. I’m just glad the boss, the man, Dana White, gave me the opportunity to fight for my shot. [And] now I earned my shot, I took my shot, there’s no denying me now.
“All I needed to hear was there’s nothing next but the title shot. So can’t wait.”
Muhammed, 23-3 as a professional, has previous with Edwards. The pair faced off inside the octagon in March 2021, but the bout was deemed a no contest after Edwards caught his opponent accidentally with an eye poke in the second round.
Two years on, and should the UFC move forward first with Edwards-Covington, Muhammad said he is willing to wait to meet the winner in his quest for the belt.
“As long as I got the guaranteed shot, that’s all I needed to hear," he said. "So now I know what’s next … you guys don’t know how hungry I am for this title shot; how hungry I am to win this gold.
“And I know it doesn’t matter what I have to do I’m going to get there. I popped up and took this opportunity [Burns] on three weeks’ notice because they said, 'If you win this fight you get the title shot’.
“And now I have the title shot, whoever has the belt, you don’t have no idea what’s coming to you. It’s going to be the best version of me you ever see in your life.
“Because this was three weeks’ notice; give me eight weeks’ notice, give me 12. It’s going to be harder for them guys. If I’m them, I’m going to want to fight right away and then get a quick turnaround, so they don’t have to deal with the best version of me.”
UFC 294 takes place on October 21 at Etihad Arena. No bouts have been confirmed, however, the card will feature at least one championship fight.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
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
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
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11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
