Brendan Loughnane aims to join an exclusive club of two-time champions in the Professional Fighters League this week, while also walking away with $1 million.
Standing in his way in Riyadh this Friday is the undefeated Timur Khizriev (17-0), who has his own designs on the featherweight crown at the 2024 PFL World Championship finals.
Britain's Loughnane won his first PFL featherweight title in 2022 by beating Bubba Jenkins. He successfully defended his crown against Marlon Moraes before losing his belt to Jesus Pinedo last year.
Manchester-born Loughnane, 34, who has won 30 of his 35 mixed martial arts bouts, believes his experience will be the key to regaining the strap.
“It's definitely nothing I've not seen before. I've been fighting for a long time. I've fought world-class people for the last decade. So, I'm more than ready for it,” Loughnane told The National when asked about the threat posed by Russian Khizriev.
“And yes, a lot of experience and I think that's going to play a key factor in me winning the fight.”
In Khizriev, Loughnane faces an opponent known for his grappling prowess. It's not surprising given that Khizriev began his combat sports journey in wrestling aged nine. The Russian arrives riding a hot streak that includes three wins in Bellator and three more in the PFL.
But Loughnane said: “I just think it's a typical striker versus grappler contest. I think he's going to try and take it to the floor and I'm going to try to knock him out, and whoever is successful will win the fight."
The bout could also be the last for Loughnane competing in the PFL tournament format.
The promotion currently stages fights across six weight divisions, as well as a special pay-per-view “Super Fight” division that is based on name and status.
In January 2023, PFL announced they had signed an exclusive deal with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul to make him the first fighter in the new PPV division.
Paul co-created the PFL Super Fight division in which fighters earn 50 per cent revenue from all of their bouts.
Francis Ngannou became the first PFL Super Fight heavyweight champion on his MMA return in October, after dispatching Renan Ferreira in the first round in Riyadh.
In the regular weight classes there is a $1m jackpot available for each year's champion but that comes after a gruelling tournament format. Loughnane heads into this weekend's bout desperate to land his second winner's cheque but with one eye on the Super Fight division.
“I have been in the PFL for six years and they are great," the Englishman said. “I've grown with the company from start to finish, you know, they changed my life, changed my family's life and I love fighting for them.
“[The tournament format] is very difficult, mentally, physically, it's very hard to compete so many times back-to-back, but I've done it so many times now that I'm used to it.
“Now I’m going to do things like the Super Fights and fights with belts and things like that, so I'll choose this one instead. Rather than doing the tournament format again I'd rather just do it the other way now, because I feel that I have been here a long time and it is physically demanding.
“It takes a full year out of your life every year. I have done this for the last four to five years. I sat down with my manager and my team and I think it would be more beneficial now to have bigger fights, like in the UK, some Super Fights ... I would love to do that.”
Having moved to Dubai after purchasing a property there in 2022, Loughnane now divides his time between the city and his native England, spending around six months a year in each.
“I have been coming on and off to Dubai since 2020 and later bought a property. I use it also as a base to train and for flying out to Riyadh after completing my final preparations here,” Loughnane said.
“I'm really happy to be in Dubai, happy to be in my own home in Dubai, you know, finishing this and then getting a flight tomorrow to go and fight and then back to my home again.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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.
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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
MATCH INFO
Karnataka Tuskers 110-5 (10 ovs)
Tharanga 48, Shafiq 34, Rampaul 2-16
Delhi Bulls 91-8 (10 ovs)
Mathews 31, Rimmington 3-28
Karnataka Tuskers win by 19 runs
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Top tips to avoid cyber fraud
Microsoft’s ‘hacker-in-chief’ David Weston, creator of the tech company’s Windows Red Team, advises simple steps to help people avoid falling victim to cyber fraud:
1. Always get the latest operating system on your smartphone or desktop, as it will have the latest innovations. An outdated OS can erode away all investments made in securing your device or system.
2. After installing the latest OS version, keep it patched; this means repairing system vulnerabilities which are discovered after the infrastructure components are released in the market. The vast majority of attacks are based on out of date components – there are missing patches.
3. Multi-factor authentication is required. Move away from passwords as fast as possible, particularly for anything financial. Cybercriminals are targeting money through compromising the users’ identity – his username and password. So, get on the next level of security using fingertips or facial recognition.
4. Move your personal as well as professional data to the cloud, which has advanced threat detection mechanisms and analytics to spot any attempt. Even if you are hit by some ransomware, the chances of restoring the stolen data are higher because everything is backed up.
5. Make the right hardware selection and always refresh it. We are in a time where a number of security improvement processes are reliant on new processors and chip sets that come with embedded security features. Buy a new personal computer with a trusted computing module that has fingerprint or biometric cameras as additional measures of protection.
Honeymoonish
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Dubai Rugby Sevens, December 5 -7
World Sevens Series Pools
A – Fiji, France, Argentina, Japan
B – United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland
C – New Zealand, Samoa, Canada, Wales
D – South Africa, England, Spain, Kenya
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
