UFC athlete Santiago Ponzinibbio has paid tribute to compatriot Diego Maradona before Saturday’s Fight Island opener in Abu Dhabi.
The Argentine, who takes on China’s Li Jingliang at UFC Fight Night at the new Etihad Arena, arrived at the pre-event face-off on Friday with a poster of Maradona holding aloft the World Cup in 1986. He unfurled it, with the help of Li, to show “Forever” emblazoned across the image.
Widely regarded one of the best footballers in history, Maradona died in November. He was aged 60.
“He is one of the greatest athletes of all time,” Ponzinibbio said. “He didn’t ever sell himself – he started from nothing and dominated world football.
“He’s an inspiration because he showed nothing is impossible. He was a dreamer, like me. He started from nothing, just like me.”
UFC Fight Night, the first of three events at this Fight Island Triple Header, is headlined by Max Holloway's featherweight clash with Calvin Kattar. Marking the Etihad Arena's official opening, it will welcome a limited amount of spectators – the first time the UFC has hosted a live show with fans in attendance since March.
Another UFC Fight Night follows on Wednesday, with the series concluding on January 24 with a much-anticipated UFC 257 headlined by Conor McGregor's comeback against Dustin Poirier.
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
South Africa's T20 squad
Duminy (c), Behardien, Dala, De Villiers, Hendricks, Jonker, Klaasen (wkt), Miller, Morris, Paterson, Phangiso, Phehlukwayo, Shamsi, Smuts.
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
