Mostafa Nada put on a show for his family, friends and home fans with a stunning first-round knockout of Abdel Rahmane Driai in their middleweight main event at the Professional Fighters League Mena 2 event in Riyadh on Friday.
The Saudi fighter landed a big left that buckled Driai in the cage at The Green Halls in the Saudi capital and then followed up with another that dropped him to the canvas.
The Algerian was quickly up on his feet but Nada was in no mood to let him off the hook. He connected with a right to his jaw to send him crashing to the canvas for good, bringing an end to the contest two minutes and 34 seconds into the first round.
“I have been fighting outside the Kingdom all the time and it’s first time in front of my family, friends and fans so I’m super proud of this result,” Nada said.
“I have been practicing combat sports since my childhood. I want to learn the art of MMA. The idea is to be a complete fighter, to teach our children and generations how to defend themselves.
“The professional side is difficult, not everyone can challenge, but with the PFL, it will be a platform for everyone to be professional and support us. We [Saudis] are ready for the challenges.
“Thank you for everyone who came to watch this contest and support me. Your presence inspired me to this win.”
With the result, Nada took his PFL tally to 2-0 and his overall win/loss record to 9-3.
In the co-main, Mohammad Al Aqraa, 24, lived up to his growing reputation by stretching his unbeaten run to six after a third-round stoppage of Youcef Ouabbas at welterweight.
The California-based Kuwaiti grabbed Ouabbas from behind for a take down, then locked his right arm on the ground and pounded until the referee stopped the contest to prevent further punishment.
Al Aqraa joined the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) at age 17 in 2017 and has been training under head coach Javier Mendez, who was at his side in Riyadh.
“Since my first day at the gym, my coach told me that me and him will one day hold a championship belt together, and that’s not far away,” Al Aqraa said after dominating Ouabbas.
Earlier on the card, Jarrah Al Silawi made quick work of Rayan Atmani in their welterweight regular season bout, winning by rear naked choke submission in the first round to move on to the semi-finals.
Also in the welterweight division, Badreddine Diani overcame Amir Fazli by unanimous decision to claim his spot in the last four.
Mohsen Mohammadseifi's striking power was on full display as he stopped Josh Togo by TKO in the first round to advance to the lightweight semi-finals.
Souhil Tahiri earned a unanimous decision over Ahmed Amir in a lightweight regular season bout to secure his spot in the semi-finals.
Omar El Dafrawy put on a dominant performance against Anthony Zeidan, winning by unanimous decision and advancing to the welterweight semi-finals.
Abdullah Saleem secured his spot in the lightweight semi-finals by submitting Omar Reguigui with a triangle choke in the first round.
In the first regular season lightweight bout of the night, Georges Eid outclassed Abbas Khan for three rounds to pick up a unanimous decision win and advance to the semi-finals.
Kicking off the card’s action in a flyweight showcase bout, Ziyad Ayman Mokhtar showed off his grappling skills by submitting Emirati Hadi Omar Al Hussaini by rear-naked choke in the third round.
In a women’s flyweight amateur showcase, Saudi Arabia’s Hattan Alsaif earned her second straight TKO win, defeating Eman Baraka in the second round.
The inaugural PFL Mena season will continue with the PFL Mena bantamweight and featherweight playoffs from Jeddah on 20 September.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
The%20specs
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HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
Mumbai Indians 213/6 (20 ov)
Royal Challengers Bangalore 167/8 (20 ov)
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Zayed Sustainability Prize
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Company%20profile
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Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
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
Austrian Grand Prix race timings
Weekend schedule for Austrian Grand Prix - all timings UAE
Friday
Noon-1.30pm First practice
4-5.30pm Second practice
Saturday
1-2pm Final practice
4pm Qualifying
Sunday
4pm Austrian Grand Prix (71 laps)
Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
CREW
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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
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
