Organisers of a proposed new combat-sports series that aims to launch next month in Dubai say the event marks a “pivotal moment” in the future of live sports and entertainment.
The Global Titans Fight Series, billed as a multi-event production to be staged at notable locations around the world, is scheduled to begin on May 14 on the Burj Al Arab helipad, with retired boxing star Floyd Mayweather slated to headline. The unbeaten former five-time world champion, 45, takes on fellow American Don Moore.
Entitled “The Showcase in the Skies of Dubai”, the series’ inaugural event features UFC great Anderson Silva and intends to also host a female boxing world title bout.
Organisers say the all-boxing fight night represents the world’s first NFT (non-fungible token) pay-per-view sports event, meaning fans who purchase a NFT will gain access to the live stream and exclusive content.
The ticket – a 3D digital crystal design in the shape of the Burj Al Arab - also serves as a collectible NFT that can be traded. The Dubai show is available through regular pay-per-view and linear TV, and will be broadcast on four continents.
“This is the pivotal moment in time where Web2 transitions to Web3 in live sports and live entertainment,” Robert Quirke, CEO of Global Titans co-founders ROQU Media, told The National.
“With introducing Web3 or NFTs into live entertainment and the live-streaming industry, it's so much better for fans and for consumers because they actually get content that they own, and they have assets, which they own. And they’re also given a utility – in this case to watch the live stream.
“When you go to purchase a NFT you physically own that asset, so the fans are getting equity in that event or show. With Dubai, they’re getting their collectible NFT, exclusive video content, images from fight night, which nobody else in the world will have, and lots of other content.
“This is just a natural technological evolution of the ticketing journey for this new generation of people coming up and who live in this digital crypto world. I would say that this is very much the turning point where this becomes more prolific into this industry. It’s very, very special stuff.”
Quirke said the introduction of NFTs into live sport and entertainment would impact major sports, broadcasting, and live-streaming companies significantly.
“This is now a highly secure blockchain-driven access system that allows these companies to: one, be more secure with their content, but two, also give their fans and their customers a lot more. The point here is to give choice to the market."
The Dubai event will be open to attend to only 40 spectators, with Quirke saying the limited number ensures those watching live on the helipad will be provided the best possible experience. The Irishman, who added that numerous celebrities from sport and music will be present, said the emirate constituted an obvious destination for the series opener.
“Dubai is a tremendous crossroads of the world and an incredibly diverse, interesting, busy location to visit,” Quirke said. “And after the recent Expo [2020], it really created an incredible buzz and atmosphere here. Of course, you have the jewel of the city, the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel, which everybody in the world knows or would recognise.
“We wanted to start in a place where it hasn't been done before, instantly recognisable, and where people will look back on in time and say, ‘Wow that was something really special’. You can imagine, 10pm at night, lights come on, music plays, drones are flying around the helipad, all the lasers come on, the fighters walk out - it's going to be incredible.
"It's a spectacular location to film and we’re very lucky to have opportunity to do it. Yes, there’s huge technical challenges with the location, but nothing we can't overcome. It’s all set. Everything is ready to go.”
While Mayweather, undefeated in 50 professional bouts, tops the bill against the unbeaten Moore (18-0-1), former UFC middleweight champion Silva faces current UAE Warriors lightweight title-holder Bruno Machado.
Meanwhile, former two-time world champion Badou Jack goes up against Egypt’s Hany Atiyo, with ex-WBC female lightweight champion Delfine Persoon expected to compete for another title. Organisers say the Belgian's opponent will be confirmed this week.
On Mayweather’s presence at the head of the card, Quirke said: “Floyd is amazing: greatest of all time; 50 undefeated fights; greatest fight record in history; one of the greatest defences in boxing combined with one of the greatest offensive and strategic techniques.
“And he's great to work with as well. He understands the fans are really important and he definitely wants to put on a great, great event for them. This is not as sparring session, it’s a fight. I know Don is going after him and Floyd is up for that. He wants the challenge. These people are competitors.
“But having Floyd is super because he’s a world-famous icon in boxing. There's no better person to begin this incredible journey of Global Titans.”
Quirke, who described pay-per-view sales thus far as “phenomenal”, said Dubai and Abu Dhabi would play a “huge role” in Global Titans going forward, with more events in the region within the next year "for sure".
The series, which aims to offer both boxing and mixed martial arts, plans to stage fight nights at Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, the Pyramids in Egypt, and Table Mountain in South Africa.
As to the programme beyond May 14, Quirke said: “There’s certainly plans afoot and certainly conversations that are happening. There are fights we want to see in the world and that fans want to see. I’m not saying this is confirmed; what I'm saying is there are iconic fighters that should face off.
"I would love to do a fight with some of the real heavyweight stars in the world, for example Deontay Wilder versus Anthony Joshua. But to do it in Africa. To go back to [Joshua's] roots in Nigeria, stage an incredible fight out there.
“Vegas is a super location, but there’s something raw and visceral about going back to roots; it brings a lot of emotion, a lot of energy, a lot of passion. It's not just about money in Vegas, it's about something much bigger than that.
“So those type of events would be coming down the road. And, of course, there are some legends in MMA that we would like to work with as well. Those talks are ongoing. There are definitely plans afoot for big, big fights coming down the line.”
The five pillars of Islam
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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.
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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%3Cp%3E1.%20Labour%20productivity%20is%20lower%20than%20the%20average%20of%20the%20developed%20economies%2C%20particularly%20in%20the%20non-tradable%20industries.%3Cbr%3E2.%20The%20low%20level%20of%20basic%20skills%20among%20workers%20and%20the%20high%20level%20of%20inequality%20between%20those%20with%20various%20skills.%3Cbr%3E3.%20Low%20employment%20rates%2C%20particularly%20among%20Arab%20women%20and%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jewish%20men.%3Cbr%3E4.%20A%20lack%20of%20basic%20knowledge%20required%20for%20integration%20into%20the%20labour%20force%2C%20due%20to%20the%20lack%20of%20core%20curriculum%20studies%20in%20schools%20for%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jews.%3Cbr%3E5.%20A%20need%20to%20upgrade%20and%20expand%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20particularly%20mass%20transit%20infrastructure.%3Cbr%3E6.%20The%20poverty%20rate%20at%20more%20than%20double%20the%20OECD%20average.%3Cbr%3E7.%20Population%20growth%20of%20about%202%20per%20cent%20per%20year%2C%20compared%20to%200.6%20per%20cent%20OECD%20average%20posing%20challenge%20for%20fiscal%20policy%20and%20underpinning%20pressure%20on%20education%2C%20health%20care%2C%20welfare%20housing%20and%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20which%20will%20increase%20in%20the%20coming%20years.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
RESULT
Manchester City 1 Sheffield United 0
Man City: Jesus (9')
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
More on animal trafficking
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
GROUPS
Group Gustavo Kuerten
Novak Djokovic (x1)
Alexander Zverev (x3)
Marin Cilic (x5)
John Isner (x8)
Group Lleyton Hewitt
Roger Federer (x2)
Kevin Anderson (x4)
Dominic Thiem (x6)
Kei Nishikori (x7)
