Francis Ngannou retains heavyweight title after points win over Ciryl Gane at UFC 270


John McAuley
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Francis Ngannou retained his UFC heavyweight title on Sunday morning with a unanimous decision victory against interim champion Ciryl Gane at UFC 270.

The Cameroon star, who to that point had finished all 16 of his previous professional bouts, dominated his former sparring partner at Honda Center in Anaheim, California to eventually prevail 48-47, 48-47, 49-46. With the success, Ngannou moved to 17-3 in pro MMA, while Gane suffered his first defeat in 11 pro appearances.

Speaking inside the octagon immediately after the win, Ngannou revealed he had sustained a serious knee injury in the build-up to the bout.

“I knew that he’s going to be a tough opponent,” Ngannou said of his French rival. “No doubt. He was very good. The only thing that I had to do, and my coaches were reminding me all the time: stay composed, calm down, don’t chase him, trust yourself and we get it.

“It’s been an incredible journey. A very tough 10 months. Like three weeks ago, I hurt my knee. I tore my MCL completely, hurt my ACL. I wanted to [pull out] of this fight but I couldn’t see myself retreat from this fight because it was a moment for me to make a statement. I had to remind people that I’m the champ.”

Speaking afterwards, Gane said: “I’m so sorry for today. Congratulations for Francis. I’m very sad but it’s good experience. The future is in front of me.”

In the card's other championship clash, Brazil’s Deiveson Figueiredo reclaimed the flyweight title by defeating Brandon Moreno by unanimous decision in their trilogy bout. All three judges scored the contest 48-47.

Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 4/5

Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net

Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.

Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.

A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.

Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.

The biog

Place of birth: Kalba

Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren

Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken

Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah

Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”

What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

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 

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Director:Mike Mills

Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman

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Polarised public

31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views

19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all

Source: YouGov

Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."

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Dir: Guy Nattiv

Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Brolliology: A History of the Umbrella in Life and Literature
By Marion Rankine
Melville House

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Have you been targeted?

Tuan Phan of SimplyFI.org lists five signs you have been mis-sold to:

1. Your pension fund has been placed inside an offshore insurance wrapper with a hefty upfront commission.

2. The money has been transferred into a structured note. These products have high upfront, recurring commission and should never be in a pension account.

3. You have also been sold investment funds with an upfront initial charge of around 5 per cent. ETFs, for example, have no upfront charges.

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Updated: January 23, 2022, 6:55 AM