Francis Ngannou makes his highly anticipated return to MMA this weekend against heavyweight champion Renan Ferreira in the headline bout of the Professional Fighters League's aptly named 'Battle of the Giants' show in Saudi Arabia.
Ahead of fight night, here is everything you need to know.
What is it?
The 'Battle of the Giants' is an MMA event that will be headlined by the PFL heavyweight title fight between champion Ferreira and former UFC star Ngannou.
Before the main event, there will be nine other bouts, including two title fights.
When is it?
The event takes place this Saturday, October 19.
Where is it?
Fight night will take place at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom Arena has become a major venue in the world of combat sports, with several high-profile boxing events also being held there, including last Saturday's thrilling undisputed light-heavyweight title fight between Artur Beterbiev and Dimitry Bivol.
Who are the headline fighters?
Ngannou returns to the cage for the first time since his acrimonious split from the UFC, where he was the reigning heavyweight champion and one of the promotion's biggest stars.
After a breakdown in negotiations over extending his time with the UFC, Ngannou opted to join the PFL in May last year, making him the league's biggest-ever signing in a deal that extended far beyond a typical fighter's contract.
The deal saw Ngannou become an equity owner and chairman for the upcoming PFL Africa as well as take a place on the PFL's Global Advisory Board. The Cameroonian can also arrange his own sponsorships separate from the PFL and pursue non-MMA opportunities, which he did with a brief and lucrative foray into boxing.
Ngannou made his professional boxing debut against Tyson Fury in October last year and almost stunned the world by knocking down the former WBC and lineal heavyweight world champion and taking him to a split decision. His second boxing outing was not quite as successful as Ngannou was knocked clean out by Anthony Joshua in the second round of their bout in March.
Now the Cameroonian returns to his day job and holds a professional MMA record of 17 wins against three losses with 12 knockouts. He is on a run of six straight victories, including his most recent outing - a decision victory over Ciryl Gane in January 2022 in what was his first and only defence of the UFC heavyweight belt.
Ferreira rose to prominence after a successful run in 2023 when he capped off a three-fight winning streak by claiming the PFL heavyweight title. He then began this year’s campaign with a first-round knockout of Bellator champion Ryan Bader at a PFL vs Bellator event on February 24.
The Brazilian has won 13 fights (11 KOs) and lost three with three no contests.
Who is on the undercard?
The co-main event will be the second of three title fights on the card as Cris Cyborg makes her PFL debut against women's featherweight champion Larissa Pacheco.
In a career spanning various MMA promotions including the UFC, Bellator and Strikeforce, Cyborg is regarded as one of the finest female fighters in history and returns to the cage with an impressive 27-2 record.
Pacheco enters the bout off the back of 10 wins in the PFL since May 2021 and boasts a 23-4 record. At 30, she is nine years younger than Cyborg.
Before their bout will be the first title fight of the show when Johnny Eblen (15-0) defends his Bellator middleweight title against Fabian Edwards (13-3).
Earlier on the card, Husein Kadimagomaev (11-1) takes on Zafar Mohsen (13-4) in a featherweight contest, AJ Mckee Jr (22-1) and Paul Hughes (12-1) fight at lightweight, and Raufeon Stots (20-2) and Marcos Breno (15-3) compete in a bantamweight bout.
There is also a lightweight fight between Makkasharip Zaynukov (15-4) and Dedrek Sanders (9-4), and Ibragim Ibragimov (7-0) vs Nacho Campos (5-0), and Tariq Ismail (8-1) against Taha Bendaoud (3-0), both at featherweight.
Home fans will get to cheer on Saudi Arabia’s rising MMA star Mostafa Nada as he takes on Ahmed Sami of Egypt.
What is the fight week schedule?
The build-up to fight night starts on Wednesday with a face-off between Ngannou and Ferreira in the main event and Cyborg and Pacheco in the co-main in Diriyah. The media conference will be held on Thursday.
What time does the event start?
The pre-fight show starts at 8.30pm (UAE time), with the early card getting the action underway from at 9.30pm. The main card is scheduled to begin at midnight.
Are tickets still available?
Tickets can be purchased here.
Where can I watch The Battle of The Giants?
Fans in the region can watch the entire card live on DAZN.
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Tales of Yusuf Tadros
Adel Esmat (translated by Mandy McClure)
Hoopoe
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.9" Liquid Retina IPS, 2360 x 1640, 264ppi, wide colour, True Tone, Apple Pencil support
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Honeymoonish
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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Three trading apps to try
Sharad Nair recommends three investment apps for UAE residents:
- For beginners or people who want to start investing with limited capital, Mr Nair suggests eToro. “The low fees and low minimum balance requirements make the platform more accessible,” he says. “The user interface is straightforward to understand and operate, while its social element may help ease beginners into the idea of investing money by looking to a virtual community.”
- If you’re an experienced investor, and have $10,000 or more to invest, consider Saxo Bank. “Saxo Bank offers a more comprehensive trading platform with advanced features and insight for more experienced users. It offers a more personalised approach to opening and operating an account on their platform,” he says.
- Finally, StashAway could work for those who want a hands-off approach to their investing. “It removes one of the biggest challenges for novice traders: picking the securities in their portfolio,” Mr Nair says. “A goal-based approach or view towards investing can help motivate residents who may usually shy away from investment platforms.”
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
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Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre supercharged V8
Power: 712hp at 6,100rpm
Torque: 881Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 19.6 l/100km
Price: Dh380,000
On sale: now
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
Company%20profile
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In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
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The Lowdown
Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseqph, Evan Alex and Elisabeth Moss
Rating: 4/5
