Jake Paul seems to have the Midas touch, turning everything he touches into gold.
At 27, the American is a successful actor, YouTuber, entrepreneur and professional boxer, and now co-founder of the Professional Fighters League Super Fight Division.
The promotion launched the first PFL Super Fight Championship Belt, which brings two title contests, between former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira, and female MMA stars Cris Cyborg and Larissa Pacheo, to Saudi Arabia on October 19.
Paul was at the press conference last month to announce the Riyadh event along with the two heavyweight title contenders Ngannou and Ferreira.
“I think it’s great what the PFL and I have partnered to do, just to help fighters make more money and put them on a big stage,” Paul told The National in a Zoom interview.
“It’s gonna be amazing to have our first one in Riyadh with Francis Ngannou and Renan Ferreira and this fight is gonna be absolutely massive. They're massive and it's the 'Battle of the Giants'.
“These guys are huge and I believe someone's gonna get knocked out. Yeah, that's an exciting fight and you have two title fights with the co-main event being the Pacheo versus Cyborg. We are still filling out the rest of the card.”
Saudi Arabia has emerged as a hot spot for a wide variety of high-profile sporting events with Paul endorsing it as the right place to launch the PFL Super Fight Championship.
“I think the fight fans there love Francis, and I think it's a perfect spot for him to fight and it's just always exciting and this is going to be a massive fight. So it needed a massive place like Saudi Arabia to put the show on,” he said.
Ngannou became a recognised name among Saudi fans after his appearances in two high-profile heavyweight boxing bouts in the kingdom, against Tyson Fury in October 2023 and Anthony Joshua six months later.
“The fight game is developing in the kingdom and it's becoming more and more usual to go there and I think they have a ton of fight fans, which is the most important thing for a fight city,” Paul said.
“You need the fans to show up to all the events and that's what keeps happening there and the events keep on getting better and better.”
MMA, in particular, is growing in the region and Paul wants to widen the horizon for the PFL Super Fight Championship with Abu Dhabi and Dubai as prospective host cities for future events.
“There have definitely been conversations behind the scenes of going to Abu Dhabi or going to Dubai,” he said.
“I would love to take a fight there, and I have a lot of fans in both those places, so I think it'd be really fun.”
However, Paul may have to skip the first PFL Super Fight Championship in Riyadh as it clashes with his preparation for his boxing bout against former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson on November 15 at the IT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“It's going to be a legendary historic night with 90,000 people at AT&T Stadium,” he said, when asked of his meeting with Tyson.
“It will be the most viewed fight ever. Just to even say that is very surreal and I know Mike is my toughest and strongest opponent yet.
“I have to move up to heavyweight and I believe he's going to be dangerous for the first half of the fight and then I believe I'll be able to stop him in the second half.”
Tyson is one of the most feared heavyweight champions in history and more than 30 years Paul's senior.
“No, it definitely matters,” Paul said when asked about the age difference. “I think it's the equaliser, right? I have youth, but he has experience and so many more years of boxing, so many more fights.
“He has the weight, me moving up to heavyweight, and then I believe he's more powerful. So that's what makes this a 50-50 fight in my opinion. The age is sort of my advantage.”
Paul has also signed up for PFL to compete as a professional MMA fighter in 2025 but his first appearance in the cage will have to come after his match against Tyson.
“They are trying to find a fight for me and find a name. It's just been difficult to find someone with a big enough name that makes sense. I’m sure that day will come,” he said of a possible MMA debut.
Paul hasn’t started MMA training as he’s been focused on his boxing and the upcoming match.
“Boxing takes up so much of my time tight now,” he said. “We will see, you know, it all depends on being able to find the right opponent and the timing but I'm ready whenever to make a big fight in MMA and obviously with the PFL, it's gonna be huge.”
Paul is confident PFL and the Super Fight Championships will be successful.
“I just have to put on my promotional hat and help promote the fight in the pay-per-view and get my fans excited and to be a part of the storyline and to do what all the other promoters do,” he said.
“PFL is already the second biggest MMA promotion behind the UFC. And obviously the UFC is massive, but I believe the PFL over the next couple of years will start to eat the UFC's lunch and we basically will keep on growing and growing.
“We already took their biggest star in Francis and I think other fighters will see Francis make tens of millions of dollars over here and look at their bank accounts at the UFC.
“They'll be like ‘Hey! I need to go over to the PFL and get what I'm worth.’ And the more fighters that do that, the bigger we're going to get and then I'm going to start fighting in MMA and the rest is history.”
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
F1 line ups in 2018
Mercedes-GP Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas; Ferrari Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen; Red Bull Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen; Force India Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez; Renault Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz Jr; Williams Lance Stroll and Felipe Massa / Robert Kubica / Paul di Resta; McLaren Fernando Alonso and Stoffel Vandoorne; Toro Rosso TBA; Haas F1 Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen; Sauber TBA
MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
25-MAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Francis Uzoho, Ikechukwu Ezenwa, Daniel Akpeyi
Defenders: Olaoluwa Aina, Abdullahi Shehu, Chidozie Awaziem, William Ekong, Leon Balogun, Kenneth Omeruo, Jamilu Collins, Semi Ajayi
Midfielders: John Obi Mikel, Wilfred Ndidi, Oghenekaro Etebo, John Ogu
Forwards: Ahmed Musa, Victor Osimhen, Moses Simon, Henry Onyekuru, Odion Ighalo, Alexander Iwobi, Samuel Kalu, Paul Onuachu, Kelechi Iheanacho, Samuel Chukwueze
On Standby: Theophilus Afelokhai, Bryan Idowu, Ikouwem Utin, Mikel Agu, Junior Ajayi, Valentine Ozornwafor
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Qosty Byogaani
Starring: Hani Razmzi, Maya Nasir and Hassan Hosny
Four stars
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan v Juventus
Saturday, 10.45pm (UAE)
Watch the match on BeIN Sports
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
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.
