Jesse Arnett was crowned the new UAE Warriors featherweight champion on Saturday after a second round stoppage by the cage-side doctor following a cut above Ali Al Qaisi’s left eye.
Chaos ensued as a visibly upset Al Qaisi screamed at the referee and went after Arnett, who had to jump out of the cage before calmness was restored at the Etihad Arena.
“I love Abu Dhabi and I love to compete, and I respect Ali and everyone in this region,” Arnett said. “Ali deserves an immediate re-match. This fight was razor-close and I landed an elbow from the top and split him wide open. I’m not the referee but I’m here to compete and I was there for all five rounds.
“Everybody that knows me back home knows I haven’t had a lot of wrestling practice and I haven’t had a lot of jiu-jitsu practice since I left Sanford MMA. I will wrestle that boy next time and do the exact same thing. I found the game-plan to beat Ali.”
After an evenly-matched opening round, Al Qaisi attempted a high kick and fell on his back, allowing Arnett to get on top of his opponent to open what appeared to be a deep cut.
Al Qaisi looked agitated with the decision to stop the contest. He argued with the referee first and then pursued Arnett when he appeared to intervene on the verdict.
The result took Arnett’s win-loss record to 20-8 and his UAE Warriors record to 3-1.
Taleb extends unbeaten run
Ali Taleb took his unbeaten record to seven with a stunning right hook to floor defending champion Vinicius de Oliveira in the UAE Warriors bantamweight title contest.
De Oliveira produced an impressive second round after a close opening five minutes, but walked into Taleb’s crunching right that landed on his right jaw in the third round.
“I was confident coming into this title contest,” Taleb said after ending the Brazilian’s unbeaten run of six career fights.
“It’s nice to have a title next to my name. It certainly improves my status as an MMA fighter in the world circuit particularly when other promotions have approached me. Hopefully exciting times are ahead.”
Results
Featherweight title fight: Jesse Arnett (CAN) beat Ali Al Qaisi (JOR) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage), Round 2
Bantamweight title fight: Ali Taleb (IRQ) beat Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) via KO, Round 3
Flyweight: Dias Erengaipov (KAZ) beat Abdulla Aliev (RUS) via Split Decision
Lightweight: Michael Dufort (CAN) beat Wilson Varela (FRA) via Unanimous Decision
Bantamweight: Jonny Touma (SWE) beat Rey Nacionales (PHI) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in Round 1
Middleweight: Juscelino Ferreira (BRA) beat KB Bhullar (CAN) via Unanimous Decision
Bantamweight: Murad Magomedov (RUS) beat Alimardan Abdykaarov (KYG) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in Round 2
Catchweight 178lbs: Brian Hooi (NED) beat Wisem Hammami (ITA) via KO in Round 2
Featherweight: Samuel Bark (SWE) beat Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) via Split Decision
Catchweight 143lbs: Gabriel Braga (BRA) Faeez Jacobs (RSA) via Unanimous Decision
Catchweight 143lbs: Jacqueline Cavalcanti (POR) beat Yulia Kutsenko (RUS) via TKO (Strikes) in Round 1
Heavyweight: Sofiane Boukichou (TUN) Luc Ngeleka (COG) via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in Round 1
Bantamweight: Ruel Panales (PHI) beat Magomed Gadzhimuradov (RUS) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in Round 2
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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.
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.
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
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
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Tips for entertaining with ease
· Set the table the night before. It’s a small job but it will make you feel more organised once done.
· As the host, your mood sets the tone. If people arrive to find you red-faced and harried, they’re not going to relax until you do. Take a deep breath and try to exude calm energy.
· Guests tend to turn up thirsty. Fill a big jug with iced water and lemon or lime slices and encourage people to help themselves.
· Have some background music on to help create a bit of ambience and fill any initial lulls in conversations.
· The meal certainly doesn’t need to be ready the moment your guests step through the door, but if there’s a nibble or two that can be passed around it will ward off hunger pangs and buy you a bit more time in the kitchen.
· You absolutely don’t have to make every element of the brunch from scratch. Take inspiration from our ideas for ready-made extras and by all means pick up a store-bought dessert.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
