ABU DHABI // Brazilian fighter Anderson 'The Spider' Silva retained his UFC middleweight belt last night, thoroughly outclassing compatriot Demian Maia at Yas Island's UFC112: Invincible.
The champion's arrogant and elusive display, however, left the Abu Dhabi crowd - who switched their support to the bloodied Maia midway through the fight - distinctly unimpressed.
With Maia looking to take the fight to the ground, Silva's superior take-down defence resulted in an uninspiring stalemate.
And having taunted and toyed with Maia throughout the one-sided fight, Silva was eventually ordered to stop dancing around the cage and engage by the referee.
During his victory speech, Silva was shouted down by a furious crowd. "I'm sorry, I wasn't as humble as I should have been, I will be better next time," his manager Ed Soares said, translating from the fighter's Portuguese.
UFC president Dana White, who traditionally hands champions their belts at the end of fights, left the bout during the fourth round. White was still seething during the post-fight press conference.
"It was a disgrace," he said. "To end this night the way we did was embarrassing - I apologise to every one who came to the fight. I will, I don't know how yet, but I will make this up to the fans.
Asked by The National whether putting Silva into a fight with welterweight champion Georges St Pierre - who the crowd chanted for throughout the main event - was now a priority, White was ambiguous.
"Who wants to see Anderson fight after that fight? He could be the first champion in history to be fighting on the preliminary card."
emegson@thenational.ae
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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