DUBAI // Michael Bisping, the UFC Middleweight champion, believes he still has a few fights left in him before he hangs up his boot – but the Briton insists he has no plans for a rematch with Dan Henderson.
A bloodied Bisping, 37, defeated Henderson by a unanimous decision at UFC 204 in Manchester on October 8 to defend the title he had first won in June, at UFC 199 in California, by knocking out champion Luke Rockhold in the first round.
Henderson, however, has been unable to “reconcile” with the decision of the judges in Manchester that night and believes he had won the bout. And, “for the right money”, the 46-year-old American is willing to come out of retirement for a third fight with Bisping – the first took place in 2009, at UFC 100, and Henderson won by KO.
More Bisping
• UFC Gym: Michael Bisping in Dubai to open first UFC Gym in Middle East
• UFC 204: Michael Bisping prevails in epic over Dan Henderson
Bisping, however, is not interested and he said: “Henderson .. oh, that’s done. That’s done.
“If he is upset he should have tried actually fighting me more because from what I saw, apart from the two big punches that he landed – he landed a good one in the first round, he landed a good one in the second round – the other 23 and a half minutes, he was a human punchbag.
“So, if he is upset, he has got only himself to be upset at. He can go and stew on that in his retirement, can’t he?”
Bisping was in Dubai as a special guest for the grand opening of the UFC Gym, the first flagship facility to open doors in the Middle East, and between posing for selfies with his fans and signing autographs, he spoke to reporters about the challenges of being the first Englishman in the UFC, continued his war-of-words with Chris Weidman and spoke about world heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury’s self-inflicted woes.
Michael Bisping Q&A
q You were the first English fighter in the UFC main event and now you are the first British fighter to win a UFC championship. How do you look back at the journey?
a When I started doing this, nobody knew what the sport was. Now fortunately, the sport has come a long, long way. People know what it is and it gets the respect and the credit that it deserves. But when I first started, people thought I was a maniac. Now fortunately, things have changed. People know what we do, they know we are athletes, it's a real sport. So yeah, it was hard work at the start.
q You defended your title in Manchester. How was that experience of fighting for the title at home?
a Oh, it was unbelievable. My last fight, it was less than two weeks ago and the arena sold out in just six minutes. I think that's just unbelievable. It's one of the greatest experiences of my life. The crowds were absolutely deafening and yeah, it was just an amazing experience. The support that I've had from the UK is just mind-blowing, it really is.
q So you believe you have set down a legacy for more Brits to come through?
a I hope so. I don't see why not. I know I am the first, but I can't see why there wouldn't be a lot more. We have always done well in the combat sport field. Right now, the UK is dominating the heavyweight boxing scene. So I don't see why I am not going to be the first of many.
q Talking about the heavyweight boxing scene in the UK, what are your thoughts on Tyson Fury?
a Tyson Fury is a strange individual, so I think we will leave it at that. He says a lot of silly things. I think he is going through some tough things mentally right now. I saw what he said and I kind of understood him a little bit because it is hard in our position. We have to deal with a lot of criticism. So people deal with it a lot better than others. Obviously, he's struggling a little bit right now, but he doesn't help himself either. He says a lot of dumb things. But I wish him the best.
q Coming back to UFC, do you believe you could you have been a world champion earlier?
a Yeah, yeah. If they had started drug-testing people a lot earlier, I could have been, yeah. Now they drug test people randomly and all off a sudden, I am world champion. People are not taking steroids anymore. People are not cheating anymore. I haven't changed one bit, but a lot of people are changing. Their physiques are changing. They are losing muscle or they are getting caught, getting suspended.
q You have already defended your title once. What are your plans moving forward?
a In my division, there is no shortage of worthy contenders. So I certainly have my hands full. There's actually some developments in the air. While I was flying here, Dana White, the president [of UFC], was texting me. I can't say anything right now, but I think we are going to have some pretty big headlines very, very soon. I have some very interesting text messages on my phone.
q You have said in a perfect world you would have three more fights before retirement. In a perfect world, who would those three fights be against?
a Probably, Georges St-Pierre, Chris Weidman and Luke Rockhold.
q But Weidman has told Fox Sports, "I get Bisping, that's an easy day ... it might be one of my easiest fights I've had in years". Your thoughts?
a He said that about me? Yeah, yeah, it would be so easy to beat me, the guy that knocked out the person [Rockhold at UFC 194] that destroyed him. Luke Rockhold beat Chris Weidman pretty easy and I just knocked Rockhold out.
Look, Weidman is probably a decent guy. He seems like a nice enough guy. But he can keep telling himself that. I ain’t an easy fight for anybody. Do I look like an easy fight to you? You want to fight me? I ain’t an easy fight pal, not for anyone.
q How do you look back at your career? Happy the hard work has eventually paid off?
a Yeah – the hard work, determination a bit of good luck here and there. I have worked my [tail] off because I am just an average guy that is not athletically gifted. Far from it. I wasn't any kind of athlete when I was in school. I wasn't even on the football team; I had two left feet. But with a bit of hard work, determination and work ethic, you can make something of yourself and you can become something. Hopefully, that is the lesson I have shown people.
q Finally, do you believe this new UFC Gym in Dubai can produce UFC champions of the future?
a Oh, absolutely. If you saw the gym where I used to train in, in comparison to this, this is an amazing state-of-the-art facility. The gym where I used to train, there was a leak in the roof, there was ice on the mats in the winter, there was no shower. It was a very, very humble gym. I don't think gym is the correct word to describe it. But yes, facilities like this might work in creating champions.
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The%20Specs
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SPECS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
Ms Danial is a finance coach and former currency analyst who writes for Nasdaq. Her broad-strokes primer (2019) breaks down investing in cryptocurrency into baby steps, while explaining the terms and technologies involved.
Although cryptocurrencies are a fast evolving world, this book offers a good insight into the game as well as providing some basic tips, strategies and warning signs.
Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
OPENING FIXTURES
Saturday September 12
Crystal Palace v Southampton
Fulham v Arsenal
Liverpool v Leeds United
Tottenham v Everton
West Brom v Leicester
West Ham v Newcastle
Monday September 14
Brighton v Chelsea
Sheffield United v Wolves
To be rescheduled
Burnley v Manchester United
Manchester City v Aston Villa
Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
Company%20Profile
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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.
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Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10
*November 15 to November 24
*Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
*Tickets: Start at Dh10, from ttensports.com
*TV: Ten Sports
*Streaming: Jio Live
*2017 winners: Kerala Kings
*2018 winners: Northern Warriors
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
DRIVERS' CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1. Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 171 points
2. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP) 151
3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP) 136
4. Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing) 107
5. Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) 83
6. Sergio Perez (Force India) 50
7. Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) 45
8. Esteban Ocon (Force India) 39
9. Carlos Sainz (Torro Rosso) 29
10. Felipe Massa (Williams) 22
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
West Indies v England ODI series:
West Indies squad: Jason Holder (c), Fabian Allen, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Kemar Roach, Oshane Thomas.
Fixtures:
1st ODI - February 20, Bridgetown
2nd ODI - February 22, Bridgetown
3rd ODI - February 25, St George's
4th ODI - February 27, St George's
5th ODI - March 2, Gros Islet
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Jawan
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War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Match info
UAE v Bolivia, Friday, 6.25pm, Maktoum bin Rashid Stadium, Dubai
Federer's 11 Wimbledon finals
2003 Beat Mark Philippoussis
2004 Beat Andy Roddick
2005 Beat Andy Roddick
2006 Beat Rafael Nadal
2007 Beat Rafael Nadal
2008 Lost to Rafael Nadal
2009 Beat Andy Roddick
2012 Beat Andy Murray
2014 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2015 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2017 Beat Marin Cilic
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
The stats: 2017 Jaguar XJ
Price, base / as tested Dh326,700 / Dh342,700
Engine 3.0L V6
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 340hp @ 6,000pm
Torque 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.1L / 100km