Whatever the true sentiment behind that widely reported hotel encounter earlier this week, protagonists slipped right back into it in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, provocateur and verbal sparring partner trading brickbats before the blows at UFC 253 on Sunday.
Israel Adesanya and Paulo Costa crossed paths for the first time since the hotel hallway, perched metres apart on Yas Beach, in front of the Arabian Gulf and in full view of the assembled media, the mics and the cameras.
It was less than three days until they square off in the octagon, the headline tussle at the UFC's last pay-per-view event that marks Fight Island's return. This one, the second residency in the capital and following on from July's significant success, glistens with two of the most mouthwatering match-ups on the company's roster. After Adesanya-Costa comes Nurmagomedov-Gaethje at UFC 254 late next month. A trio of Fight Nights lay between. "Return to Fight Island", swelled by one event from its predecessor, begins and ends with a bang.
Adesanya and Costa promise to provide bang for the buck, each undefeated, when thrown together lending their bit to history. For only the second time in the UFC, unbeaten males go at it for gold. The other instance took place more than a decade ago, thousands of miles away across the Atlantic. But a pandemic and a burgeoning partnership between the world’s lead mixed martial arts organisation and Abu Dhabi has transported all concerned to Yas Island.
Dana White, UFC president and the promotion’s most passionate pitchman, set the scene perfectly, eyes squinting under the midday sun.
“When you have two of the baddest dudes in the world, undefeated in their prime, facing off for the world title, nothing gets better than this,” he claimed, with more than a hint of hyperbole.
White delivered it like he believes it, and he should be commended considerably for delivering time and again through a global crisis. Fight Island, dreamt up to allow the UFC’s international athletes to compete during the coronavirus, is simply another example of his commitment to the combat cause, even if Abu Dhabi makes it worth the sizeable effort.
White reiterated on Thursday what he has championed for some time: that this, middleweight No 1 against middleweight No 2-ranked contender, billed as precision (Adesanya) versus power (Costa), carries with it genuine Fight of the Year credentials.
That the two “energies”, as Adesanya describes it, evidently don’t mix – “oil and water,” the champ says – only heightens the hype. The build-up has been extended and expletive-ridden, something that continued somewhat on Yas Beach, where Adesanya mocked his Brazilian foe’s English, which it must be said is fast improving; highlighted his perceived struggles in making weight: “he’s weak, sucked out, dry”; insinuated once more that Costa dopes: “still on the juice”; and questioned his grappling ability.
Staring down the jiu-jitsu black belt, Adesanya (19-0) trumpeted his own groundwork. “If I grab your neck,” he warned, “trust me I’m not going to give it back.”
Costa (13-0) played more than the willing adversary. He poked fun at Adesanya’s “skinny body”, remarked that his mother wore earrings similar to his opponent’s, accused the box-office star of acting up for the cameras before and after the rendezvous at the hotel.
“I expected to see a different tough guy,” he said of last Sunday’s run-in, when everything, or all of the 15 seconds of video depicted, appeared pretty cordial.
“Don’t know if it’s fake,” Costa added in reference to his rival.
Repeatedly on Thursday, they spoke over one another. When attentions turned to Dominick Reyes and Jan Blachowicz, Sunday’s light heavyweight title contenders who flanked them and who warrant serious recognition too, Adesanya and Costa carried on regardless, off mic.
Asked what they had exchanged as Reyes and Blachowicz kept things civil, White interjected: “lots of mean things to each other”.
This, of course, is nothing new in UFC, MMA or combat sports. Spite sells, however authentic. It makes for compelling viewing, just like Adesanya and Costa undoubtedly will around 7.30am on Sunday, not long after Reyes and Blachowicz most probably do likewise.
Looking ahead, Costa declared with a menacing laugh: “I will just go to erase him”, while Adesanya fired back, “I wanna get unleashed on this guy”.
Fighting talk, all right. Not at all what seemed to transpire in that hotel corridor, which on Thursday felt a world and more away. Laidback beach living it wasn't.
________________________
Yas Island's transformation for UFC Fight Island 1
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
New schools in Dubai
RESULTS
Welterweight
Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) beat Mostafa Radi (PAL)
(Unanimous points decision)
Catchweight 75kg
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) beat Leandro Martins (BRA)
(Second round knockout)
Flyweight (female)
Manon Fiorot (FRA) beat Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
(RSC in third round)
Featherweight
Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB) beat Ahmed Al Darmaki
(Disqualification)
Lightweight
Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) beat Rey Nacionales (PHI)
(Unanimous points)
Featherweight
Yousef Al Housani (UAE) beat Mohamed Fargan (IND)
(TKO first round)
Catchweight 69kg
Jung Han-gook (KOR) beat Max Lima (BRA)
(First round submission by foot-lock)
Catchweight 71kg
Usman Nurmogamedov (RUS) beat Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
(TKO round 1).
Featherweight title (5 rounds)
Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
(TKO round 1).
Lightweight title (5 rounds)
Bruno Machado (BRA) beat Mike Santiago (USA)
(RSC round 2).
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
Power: 640hp at 8,000rpm
Torque: 565Nm at 6,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: From Dh1 million
On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
