DUBAI // It takes considerably more than the dark to spook a three-time Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) winner.
So when the lights went out on Royce Gracie's fourth annual jiu-jitsu seminar in Dubai yesterday due to a power cut, no one was surprised when the event went on regardless.
"I'm used to teaching classes in the dark," said Gracie, a mixed martial arts (MMA) pioneer.
"I do that for some of my advanced classes to help them concentrate on their weight displacement and leverage rather than just their sight, but then it's usually much darker than this."
Fans from across the country went to the Contender MMA Centre to meet and train with Gracie.
He demonstrated the basic techniques of self-defence, judo and jiu-jitsu, and put some experienced pupils to the test to see if they had advanced enough for a new belt.
The kickboxing champion Chalid Arrab was a surprise participant.
"The dark didn't affect me at all," said Arrab, a veteran of more than 50 professional fights. "This sport relies more on feeling your way around than seeing."
Muneer Lazeez, a Tunisian, was eager to have his first session with Gracie since making his professional MMA debut this month at DFC Fight Night in Dubai.
"This is my second seminar with Royce Gracie," said Lazeez. " I love the way he thinks as a grappler. "I've trained with grapplers who were just about power and strength. Royce teaches you to fight smart."
Tam Khan, owner of Contender and a Gracie student with a purple belt, said: "This is the only official Royce Gracie-certified jiu-jitsu centre and we have the only full-time Royce Gracie black belt instructor, Amin Touati."
newsdesk@thenational.ae
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
UAE'S%20YOUNG%20GUNS
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Race%20card
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Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Bridgerton%20season%20three%20-%20part%20one
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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
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New schools in Dubai
Indika
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
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UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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