After more than two weeks’ quarantine in his Dubai gym, and another 48 hours in his Abu Dhabi hotel room, Mounir Lazzez showed up for his first ever UFC media blitz as if it was just another day.
The Dubai-based Tunisian had left his room only around an hour or so beforehand, initially speaking to local broadcasters and fulfilling the other press obligations that come with competing for the world’s lead mixed martial arts organisation.
On Thursday morning, Lazzez makes his UFC debut, opening the main card at Fight Night 1, the second event on this inaugural Fight Island. He takes on Abdul Razak Alhassan, an already talented Ghanaian who has a serious point to prove, yet Lazzez seemed to be taking everything in his stride.
For the first time on Monday, literally.
“It’s like I’m someone coming from the outside as well,” he said of the quarantine process put in place by local organisers. “I’m super happy just to get out of my room, appreciating more the moment, grabbing my coffee fresh and getting all this media. I’m just enjoying the process.”
He most certainly appeared to be. Not even the UFC camera crew that followed him around the W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island, or the assembled media that awaited him on Monday, could unsettle him.
“It’s a happy moment,” Lazzez said. “I was visualising for a long time that I would make the walk to the octagon in Las Vegas, the MGM Grand, or somewhere.
“But it’s on my doorstep here; I’ve lived in Dubai for nine years. So this is a proud moment for me to make it here at Fight Island. This is a safe zone that [the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi] have made for us and a big shout out and thanks to them for keeping us healthy and safe and able to compete and do our duty. I’m super pumped and excited for that.”
________________
UFC 251: Usman v Masvidal
________________
Little wonder. Lazzez has definitely put in the groundwork. His training has been adjusted to replicate fighting early on Thursday (around 6am), while official referees were brought into his camp and the gym kept empty to mirror a Flash Forum that, because of the tight Covid-19 restrictions, won’t house any paying spectators.
The 15 days’ lockdown in Dubai, free from distraction and giving “The Sniper” laser focus, provided the perfect preparation.
“I adapt mentally always in every situation,” Lazzez said. “You can put me in a seven-star hotel or put me down to the bridge to sleep. I would be more than happy. For me it’s inside me – I create my own happiness and my own path.”
He hopes that path is only beginning.
“I’m not here just to make it to the UFC,” Lazzez said. “I’m coming to make my UFC career successful. This is my goal.
“To be honest, I got nervous during other fights before. I don’t know, I’m super calm and chilled. Because I’ve been visualising this moment since a long time and it’s happening during this crazy time, the pandemic and people struggling and a lot of business in crisis.
“I’m super grateful. It’s come at the right time and I can keep working and show my case for the fans all around the world. This is a huge opportunity for me. It humbled me first, and it showed everything happens for a reason.
“Sometimes I hate stuff that did not work out in my career. But then I understood it’s for good because it opens another door.”
The door could be to the big time. Although, Lazzez is making a significant step up in class. He may be a former Desert Challenge welterweight champion, but he faces a man with four wins from five UFC appearances, including his past three.
Alhassan, however, hasn’t fought in almost two years after being indicted in 2018 on charges related to alleged assault. He was eventually found not guilty.
The time away from the sport could fuel his fire on Thursday.
“He’s a well-rounded fighter, he’s someone who brings the show, and that’s exactly what I want,” Lazzez said. “I don’t want an easy contest. I always say it: put me against some high level and I will show you my level, too.
“I adapt always. What I bring to the table [is] a lot of violence, calm and smart to deliver the best result. I have fans who always expect there to be fireworks and the best performance. And that’s what I’m going to give them.”
And then maybe a major UFC event, sometime down the line, in his adopted home.
“That’s the dream come true,” Lazzez said. “I’m sure the UFC didn’t come for me this time. But make no mistake: they’re going to come for me in Dubai.”
The five pillars of Islam
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eamana%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Farra%20and%20Ziad%20Aboujeb%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EUAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERegulator%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDFSA%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinancial%20services%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E85%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESelf-funded%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16. first leg
Atletico Madrid v Juventus, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
How has net migration to UK changed?
The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.
It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.
The total rose to 254,000 in the year to June 2021, followed by steep jumps to 634,000 in the year to June 2022 and 906,000 in the year to June 2023.
The latest available figure of 728,000 for the 12 months to June 2024 suggests levels are starting to decrease.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tori Amos
Native Invader
Decca
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
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
MATCH INFO
Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Namibia beat Oman by 52 runs
UAE beat Namibia by eight wickets
UAE v Oman - abandoned
Oman v Namibia - abandoned
Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances