Jose Junior, centre, flanked by Ricardo Evangelista, left, and Luis Venturino after the Fujairah Open last weekend. Courtesy UAEJJF
Jose Junior, centre, flanked by Ricardo Evangelista, left, and Luis Venturino after the Fujairah Open last weekend. Courtesy UAEJJF

‘Hunger to compete has returned’: Jose Junior takes top prize at Fujairah Jiu-jitsu Open



Jose Junior proved his victory over Ricardo Evangelista in the Ras Al Khaimah Jiu-Jitsu Open last December was no fluke after repeating the feat in the Fujairah Open over the weekend.

Junior, in fact, won the re-match more convincingly with a 6-0 score in an All-Brazilian final in the absolute class at the Khalifa Hall in Fujairah to improve his record to 2-1 over Evangelista.

He also completed a double having defeated Egyptian Tarek Matar earlier in the black belt absolute class in the No-Gi (without the traditional kimono) competition on the opening day.

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In their first meeting in the UAE, Junior suffered a semi-final defeat to Evangelista in the 94-kilogramme weight division but bounced back to claim the absolute class, both in the RAK Open in December.

“Since that win, I have worked harder with the hope of returning to full-time competition this season,” Junior said. “If I stay injury-free, the plan this season is to compete in the Sharjah Open in two weeks, the Grand Slam London in March, the Abu Dhabi World Professional Championships in April and the World Championships in California in June.

“I had to give up competing at the top flight because of work commitments but the hunger to compete has returned.

“Now I have managed to squeeze in more training time. It is tough, as I have to divide time between work and family to train long hours. I think I still have the old fire burning inside to return to top flight competition.”

Junior, 30, has appeared at the Abu Dhabi Pro four times and won two silver and a bronze medal. He skipped last year’s competition because of injury.

The two remaining finals in the black belt categories were also All-Brazilian affairs. Ygor Machado Dantas who defeated compatriot Luis Venturino in the 85kg men’s final and Marina Ribeiro took the women’s open weight final from Marcela Caiafa.

Zayed Al Kaabi was the pick of the Emiratis. A member of the UAE men’s team, he won a double in the purple belt, defeating compatriot Ibrahim Al Hosani in the 94kg final and Serbian Milos Mladenovic in the open class.

Shamsa Hasan and Shafaa Hassan, both members of the UAE women’s national team, emerged winners of their respective weight categories.

Shamsa got the better of Moroccan Issrine Chahdi in the blue belt 55kg final and Shefaa overcame Anita Mazar of Serbia in the white belt +70kg.

The Emiratis amassed 24 gold medals of the 49 that were up for grabs in the fourth domestic competition conducted by the UAEJJF after the Al Ain, Dubai and RAK Open.

apassela@thenational.ae

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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

DMZ facts
  • The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
  • It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
  • The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
  • It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
  • Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
  • Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
  • Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012. 
  • Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
if you go

Getting there

Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.

Staying there

On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.

More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

Power: 630bhp

Torque: 900Nm

Price: Dh810,000

JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO

Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday 

Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD

The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
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Sam Smith

Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi

When: Saturday November 24

Rating: 4/5

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MIDWAY

Produced: Lionsgate Films, Shanghai Ryui Entertainment, Street Light Entertainment
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Cast: Ed Skrein, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Luke Evans, Nick Jonas, Mandy Moore, Darren Criss
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

MATCH INFO

Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)

Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

Price: From Dh79,600

On sale: Now

Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances

All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.

Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.

Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.

Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.

Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.

Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.