Ahmed Al Darmaki, the Emirati mixed martial arts fighter who was involved in an ugly altercation with referee Marc Goddard, has been expelled from the UAE Warriors.
During his appearance at the UAE Warriors 12 featherweight undercard at the Jiu-Jitsu Arena last month, Al Darmaki had Uzbek Bogdan Kirilenko in a first round submission hold.
Al Darmaki apparently had won the fight after his opponent tapped out, but he refused to let go of his rear naked choke.
Goddard had to step in to break Al Darmaki’s hold but the Emirati turned against him. The fighter grabbed the British referee by his collar and pushed him repeatedly.
Goddard subsequently disqualified Al Darmaki in what could have been his third career win, and awarded the fight to Kirilenko.
Al Darmaki’s deplorable act was roundly condemned by the combat sports world on social media.
Fouad Darwish, general manager of Palms Sports who oversees the UAE Warriors, said his organisation’s association with the fighter was terminated following a committee meeting.
“The UAE Warriors stands committed to the nation and its people, and will continue to take strong action against any violation of the organisation’s code of conduct,” he said.
“The UAE Warriors regrets the actions of one fighter and acknowledges the highest level of professionalism displayed by the referee Marc Goddard.
“The unsportsmanlike conduct of the fighter was in no means reflective of the values held by UAE Warriors nor of the highly professional mixed martial arts specialist on the card, and was counter to the spirit of the UAE, its community and people.
“Following the UAE Warriors 12, the organisation remains resolutely committed against unacceptable behaviour by any of its team or fighters. We have zero tolerance to such behaviour.”
Al Darmaki, 31, is only the third Emirati to pursue a career as a professional MMA fighter. He holds a 2-6 win/loss record since his professional debut in the Desert Force 7 in Jordan on March 2013.
Yousef Al Housani now remains the sole Emirati flag bearer in the UAE Warriors. He is undefeated in five amateur and two professional appearances in the last two Warriors editions.
Al Housani scored a first round submission on Egyptian Mohamed Allam in his Warriors debut in June.
He recorded another first round success by TKO over Indian Mohamed Fargan, a last moment replacement for Sri Lankan Mohamed Arshaq Ali, in the organisation’s last competition on July 31.
SCHEDULE
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
Amith's predicted winners:
6.30pm: Down On Da Bayou
7.05pm: Etisalat
7.40pm: Mulfit
8.15pm: Pennsylvania Dutch
8.50pm: Mudallel
9.25pm: Midnight Sands
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
FIXTURES
Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)
Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WEST ASIA RUGBY 2017/18 SEASON ROLL OF HONOUR
Western Clubs Champions League
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Runners up: Dubai Exiles
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
