Hadi Omar Al Hussaini left behind a comfortable managerial position and a decent income in a leading business conglomerate in Dubai to pursue his passion as a full-time MMA fighter.
A late starter in the sport at the ripe old age of 30, little did he realise how tough that journey was going to be, particularly in raising funds for his training camps and other expenses as a professional athlete.
His friends and colleagues were surprised when he told them that he was quitting his job to pursue his MMA dreams. Some even laughed.
“Fortunately for me, my entire family stood behind me in support. If not for them, I wouldn’t have continued chasing my dream,” Al Hussaini, now 33, told The National of his struggles in changing careers.
“To be honest, my biggest support is my family. My father, my uncles, my cousins. If not for them, I wouldn't be doing this. As an athlete, it's very tough to go and prepare for a professional fight.
“Most people think [because] I’m an Emirati I have a golden spoon in my mouth. That’s not actually the case.
“I had a very hard time to get any kind of support, especially when you have a big cost to prepare for a fight, pay for a camp. I told everyone I had this dream, but they all closed the door on me. Nobody believed in me, only my family."
Al Hussaini is the only Emirati on the 12-fight card of the inaugural PFL Road to Dubai Champions Series, headlined by the world title contest between Usman Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes, at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai on Saturday.
Flyweight Al Hussaini (5-1-1) takes on Ruel Panales of the Philippines (6-2), who returns to action after a defeat in the Road to UFC Season 3 semi-finals in Las Vegas last August.
“I want to win this for my family because they did everything for me to be able to go and train with some of the best coaches in a camp in California,” Al Hussaini said.
Al Hussaini was undefeated in his first six fights, recording five wins and a draw in the UAE Warriors and the Middle East Fight Championship before suffering his first defeat in the PFL Mena 2 in Riyadh last July.
“This fight in Dubai is going to be different for me," he said. "First, fighting in the PFL is an honour as it is one of the biggest promotions in the world. And fighting in my city in front of my people, in Dubai, where I was born and raised.
“For me, this is the most important fight in my life. A very big opportunity. I'm the only local fighting in this event. It's just going to be huge for me. This means a lot.
“It’s just a proud moment for me to be able to raise my nation’s flag and represent my country in a very big stage that's considered one of the biggest MMA cards in the history of Dubai.”
Al Hussaini believes a victory for him would open many doors to continue his journey as a professional fighter.
“I want to do this for what I love, my passion and hopefully this can be the turning point to open several doors for sponsorships and contracts, and to continue my journey,” he added.
Al Hussaini had been training in various sports, mainly for fitness, and dabbled in martial arts like jiu-jitsu, wrestling, boxing and MMA. He was offered a fight at the UAE Warriors in June 2021, a journey he has continued.
“The UAE Warriors called me to try a professional fight, and I did it. I loved it. I quit my job and did it. So, it's just something I fell in love with, and I kept doing it.
“PFL approached me after my sixth career fight as they wanted an Emirati fighter and took my signature for Mena 2 and included me for the Road to Dubai Champions Series.
“I want to remain in this promotion and obviously want a good result. It’s going to be a close fight with Ruel. I am ready for a stand-up game and a ground game. I am ready for 15 minutes of work. Hopefully, everything goes as planned and we get the victory.”
Al Hussaini said the PFL putting on a show in Dubai is "huge" and that the region can become the "Las Vegas of MMA".
Everyone wants to fight here," he added. "Every fighter now dreams to fight in Abu Dhabi or Dubai or Saudi Arabia.
“All the big names in combat sports want to fight here and the big opportunities are in this region. It's going to be big and hopefully I'm going to write history and build my legacy starting 25th of January.”
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Tomorrow 2021
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The biog
Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus
Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India
Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes
Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
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Towering concerns
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Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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Plastic tipping point
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
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Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
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APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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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
Explained
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RESULT
Manchester United 2 Burnley 2
Man United: Lingard (53', 90' 1)
Burnley: Barnes (3'), Defour (36')
Man of the Match: Jesse Lingard (Manchester United)
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WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
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Company%20Profile
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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• Architecture is over - here's cybertecture
• The National announces Future of News journalism competition
• Round up: Experts share their visions of the world to come
