While becoming the first Emirati to compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an achievement in itself, remaining competitive in the world's lead Mixed Martial Arts is proving a much tougher challenge for Mohammed Yahya.
Yahya, 31, returns to the octagon on July 26 at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi. He takes on American featherweight Steven Nguyen in what will be his third appearance for the promotion. After losing his two previous bouts, the Emirati knows this make or break for him.
“It obviously can be my last chance to be in the UFC for which I have worked all my life,” Yahya told The National.
“I have to be realistic. It’s like my only chance to stay in the UFC. Preparing for this fight has been taking everything from me. I've been sacrificing a lot since my last defeat. I've been changing a lot of stuff. I've been changing my diet, changing my training, and everything else.
“I've just been so disciplined following my last two fights in the promotion. I ate correctly and I ticked all the boxes. It's a new weight division for me, which is where I should have been fighting my whole life.”
Yahya has cut his weight down by 10 pounds (4.5kg) to compete in the 145lbs featherweight division.
“I have trained differently. A mix of more striking, working more in getting quicker. I feel lighter on my feet and feel much faster and stronger in every aspect,” he said of his preparation.
The Emirati had lost his inaugural UFC fight against American Trevor Peek in 2023. Then last year, he lost to Kaue Fernandes during UFC Fight Night.
Yahya has returned with renewed passion, having completed a 12-week camp at his gym in Dubai.
“The preparation has been good, training twice a day. I've been training with a lot of good fighters from all around the world. They train in my gym and it’s been great to take them on,” he said.
“So here we are, training with all types of fighters. Preparation has gone very well. The rest is all just for the night. I'm now ready to go at any time this week, next week, I'm ready.”
Nguyen also enters the contest with a lot to prove. He lost to Dutchman Jarno Errens in his UFC debut in Las Vegas in March last year. He has a 9-2 overall record to Yahya’s 12-5.
“I have seen some of his videos,” Yahya said of his opponent. “We have worked a few strategies for him but I don’t care who stands in front of me. I just need to go out there and get this win.
“In the last two fights, I felt the pressure, but I don't think pressure is a thing any more for me. I just want to go out and prove myself and make my country and my family proud.”
Yahya is proud of his record of being the first Emirati to compete in the UFC. He was also the first UAE MMA fighter to turn professional, making a winning debut against Jordanian Hamza Nafush in Desert Force 11 in Bahrain back in March 2014.
“I feel great to be the first Emirati in the UFC. It makes me proud that I get to represent my country. I'm in MMA’s biggest stage, and it's always been my dream to be in the UFC since I was 14.
It's a new weight division for me, which is where I should have been fighting my whole life
Mohammed Yahya
Early in his career, Yahya struggled to find the right training system to pursue combat sports full time. He then moved to the UK to train in kickboxing. He acknowledges MMA has now come a long way in the UAE from the time he started.
“Back in the day, I didn't have many opportunities to fight or to train in combat sports here. Now there's hundreds of specialised gyms for combat sports and some of the biggest and sophisticated ones in the world.”
“The next generation of Emirati MMA fighters is very lucky,” he added. “The opportunities they have, the training they have, the events they have ... So if you really wanted to be an MMA fighter now, it's much easier.”
UFC Fight Night will be headlined by former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and Dutchman Reinier de Ridder. Also on the main card is Movsar Evloev v Aaron Pico in the featherweight category, along with Shara Magomedov v Marc-Andre Barriault and Petr Yan v Marcus McGhee.
“I love Robert Whittaker. I’m a big fan of him. He's a legend in the sport. I really don't want to miss his fight. He's going to put on a good show on night,” Yahya said.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Afghanistan squad
Gulbadin Naib (captain), Mohammad Shahzad (wicketkeeper), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Remaining fixtures
- August 29 – UAE v Saudi Arabia, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
- September 5 – Iraq v UAE, Amman, Jordan (venue TBC)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
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KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Mobile phone packages comparison
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
'Midnights'
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20CarbonSifr%3Cbr%3EStarted%3A%202022%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Onur%20Elgun%2C%20Mustafa%20Bosca%20and%20Muhammed%20Yildirim%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20Climate%20tech%3Cbr%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%241%20million%20raised%20in%20seed%20funding%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
