Exclusive interview: Mohammed Yahya ready for historic debut at UFC 294
Mohammed Yahya will make history next month when he becomes the first Emirati to compete in the UFC.
The Dubai-based athlete, 29, has been signed to the world’s lead mixed martial arts promotion and will make his debut at UFC 294 at Etihad Arena on October 21.
Yahya, a UAE Warriors Arabian champion at lightweight, is scheduled to take on American Trevor Peek, although the UFC has yet to confirm the bout.
UFC 294 is headlined by the rematch between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and former belt-holder Charles Oliveira – a re-run of the main event at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi last October.
Posting a video on Instagram having signed the UFC contract, Yahya said: “Alhamdulillah, it’s been a long road. I’ve signed with the UFC. It’s been a dream since I was 14 and I just got to show that dreams do come true, but with a lot of hard work.
“Now it’s time not to win, but to be out on the best performance I’ve ever had. This fight is not just for the UAE but for the whole Arab region."
The son of an Emirati father and English mother, Yahya was born in Oxford, England, before moving to Dubai when he was one. He began mixed martial arts aged 14 and competed in jiu-jitsu and kickboxing, climbing to 22-0 as an amateur in the latter.
After debuting in amateur MMA in 2012, Yahya signed with regional promotion Desert Force, and went on to win four of his five fights. He fought twice in Bellator – one victory, one defeat – and in 2019 signed for UAE Warriors.
Yahya has won seven of eight bouts for the Abu Dhabi-based promotion, becoming its lightweight Arabian champion. He defended the title three times.
Yahya competed most recently in February, where he sealed a unanimous decision win against Souhil Tahiri. As such, his professional record stands at 12-3.
Riding a five-fight win streak, Yahya fights out of TK MMA Fit gym in Media City. He is managed by gym founder Tam Khan.
“I’ve been training for this fight since March, so I’m ready," Yahya said. "I want to thank my manager and my coach, and the DCT [Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi] for making this happen.
“And [UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation chairman and chairman of Palm Sports, who manage UAE Warriors] Abdulmunam Al Hashemi, for supporting me all the time and giving me the platform to reach where I need to be.
"I’m ready, I’m going to make all the Arabs proud.”
Sitting alongside Yahya, Khan said: “This has been over 10 years, maybe 11 years in the making ... it’s a dream come true. The first ever Emirati to be in the UFC and the first ever Arab from the GCC region to be in the UFC. So it’s history for all Arabs as well as Muslims around the world. Congratulations Mohammed.”
UFC 294 marks the UFC’S return to Abu Dhabi for the first time in a year. It forms part of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, a week-long series of events and activities.
Alongside Makhachev-Oliveira 2, the card also features a highly anticipated middleweight bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Paulo Costa, while rising flyweight Muhammad Mokaev takes on Tim Elliott.
Peek, meanwhile, is 8-1 as a pro, and has twice fought in the UFC – both this year - winning one and losing the other.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last 16, second leg
Liverpool (0) v Atletico Madrid (1)
Venue: Anfield
Kick-off: Thursday, March 12, midnight
Live: On beIN Sports HD
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
BEACH SOCCER WORLD CUP
Group A
Paraguay
Japan
Switzerland
USA
Group B
Uruguay
Mexico
Italy
Tahiti
Group C
Belarus
UAE
Senegal
Russia
Group D
Brazil
Oman
Portugal
Nigeria
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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WWE Evolution results
- Trish Stratus and Lita beat Alicia Fox and Mickie James in a tag match
- Nia Jax won a battle royal, eliminating Ember Moon last to win
- Toni Storm beat Io Shirai to win the Mae Young Classic
- Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley beat The Riott Squad in a six-woman tag match
- Shayna Baszler won the NXT Women’s title by defeating Kairi Sane
- Becky Lynch retained the SmackDown Women’s Championship against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing match
- Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women’s title by beating Nikki Bella
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
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.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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
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- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
