Riyadh set for big UFC Fight Night as Adesanya takes on rising contender Imavov

Riyadh set for big UFC Fight Night as Adesanya takes on rising contender Imavov
Adesanya, the UFC’s No. 2-ranked middleweight, says he is ready for the fight against Imavov at Riyadh’s anb Arena. (FILE/AFP)
Short Url
Updated 31 January 2025
Follow

Riyadh set for big UFC Fight Night as Adesanya takes on rising contender Imavov

Riyadh set for big UFC Fight Night as Adesanya takes on rising contender Imavov
  • Strong card on Feb. 1 at the anb Arena marks the UFC’s first event of the year in the region

RIYADH: The UFC returns here Saturday with a blockbuster middleweight main event featuring former world champion Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya and rising contender Nassourdine “The Sniper” Imavov.

Adesanya, the UFC’s No. 2-ranked middleweight, says he is ready for the fight against Imavov at Riyadh’s anb Arena, which marks the company’s first event in the region this year.

“This fight is for me,” Adesanya said at a press conference on Thursday. “I’m doing this to prove to myself that I’m still in the game and dangerous.”

Commenting on his opponent, Adesanya said: “He’s good and he’s a young guy coming up but it’s my job to send him back down, respectfully.

“There’s nothing that he brings that I haven’t seen, it’s up to him to show me something that I haven’t seen before.”

Imavov, currently ranked No. 5, spoke about the challenge ahead: “I’m very good, I’m fast, I’m accurate and I can’t wait for this fight. I’m preparing a surprise for you on Saturday night.”

He added: “I don’t focus too much on him (Adesanya), I focus on myself and I hope he’s going to be in the best shape so I can beat the best of him.”

Middleweight Shara Magomedov, who takes on Michael “Venom” Page in the co-main event, said about his return to the Kingdom: “I’m happy to show the fans the fight they deserve. Page doesn’t understand what he has in front of him.”

Magomedov added: “He’s not going to be able to hide away from my bullets, I’m here to show him that I’m the greatest fighter in the world.”

Page expressed excitement about fighting in Riyadh: “Saudi Arabia is becoming the hub of combat sports, and I love being here and being so welcomed by you guys, I appreciate every one of the fans for coming to be with us.”

When asked about Magomedov’s self-confidence, Page said: “I do believe he is going to be stubborn enough to believe in himself.”

Page added: There’s certain patterns to what he does, there’s nothing to worry about. I get why other people are wowed by it and I understand his star quality and I appreciate that, but he’s never stood in front of something as confusing as me.”

Heavyweight contender Said Nurmagomedov, who faces Vinicius Oliveira, said: “I feel good, and I feel very relaxed.”

Oliveira said he was looking forward to the bout. “I don’t fear anybody, I’m very excited to be here, and be prepared because the king is coming.”

Russia’s Sergei Pavlovich, who will be in action against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, said: “He’s a very explosive guy, he’s very fast and he’s got a lot of experience, so you have to be ready for anything when it comes to him, and I am ready for all three rounds.”

Rozenstruik said he was confident. “I’m never nervous, I’m very relaxed. I’m bringing all my energy to the Octagon.”

 

MAIN CARD

Middleweight: Israel Adesanya vs. Nassourdine Imavov

Middleweight: Shara Magomedov vs. Michael Page

Heavyweight: Sergei Pavlovich vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik  

Bantamweight: Said Nurmagomedov vs. Vinicius Oliveira

Lightweight: Fares Ziam vs. Mike Davis

 

PRELIMS

Featherweight: Muhammad Naimov vs. Kaan Ofli

Heavyweight: Shamil Gaziev vs. Thomas Petersen

Lightweight: Terrance McKinney vs. Damir Hadzovic

Women’s flyweight: Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Mayra Bueno Silva

Featherweight: Bogdan Grad vs. Lucas Alexander

Heavyweight: Hamdy Adelwahab vs. Jamal Pogues

 


Major winner McDowell leads LIV Golf line-up for International Series Macau

Major winner McDowell leads LIV Golf line-up for International Series Macau
Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland during the 2024 International Series Macau. (Graham Uden/Asian Tour)
Updated 25 February 2025
Follow

Major winner McDowell leads LIV Golf line-up for International Series Macau

Major winner McDowell leads LIV Golf line-up for International Series Macau
  • Asian Tour event is at Macau Golf and Country Club from March 20-23

MACAU: The field for the International Series Macau presented by Wynn has been further strengthened with 2010 US Open champion Graeme McDowell confirmed for the tournament alongside several LIV Golf League stablemates.

The former Ryder Cup star will be joined by his Smash GC team-mate Jason Kokrak of America, as well as Indian star Anirban Lahiri, the Crushers GC player and seven-time winner on the Asian Tour, for the second of 10 elevated events on the schedule, which takes place at Macau Golf and Country Club from March 20-23.

The event forms part of the Open Qualifying Series, with the top three finishers securing a place in the field for this year’s fourth major at Royal Portrush. That news has enticed several up-and-coming youngsters from LIV Golf, with American Caleb Surratt, the Legion XIII player entering alongside Frederik Kjettrup, the Dane who signed for Cleeks GC after winning three times in his first season as a pro on the PGA Tour Americas.

American Peter Uihlein, the Range Goats GC star who won twice on the International Series last season, in England and Qatar, is also in the field as are Australian player Lucas Herbert, who finished third in Macau last year, and his Ripper GC team-mate Matt Jones.

LIV Golf wildcard Anthony Kim, the former Ryder Cup player, has also entered alongside Sam Horsfield of Majesticks GC, Branden Grace of Stinger GC and Torque GC’s Sebastian Munoz, further strengthening a field that already features two major champions, Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia and Patrick Reed of 4Aces GC, and defending champion John Catlin.

Rahul Singh, head of the International Series said: “With this year’s edition of International Series Macau presented by Wynn being confirmed as a qualifying event for The Open, we have taken things to the next level. The addition of this world-class talent demonstrates the appeal of our series, and the opportunity that it is offering to players.

“The International Series continues to offer a world-class stage for top players to compete at the highest level, and the presence of so many LIV golfers, and its status as a qualifier for The Open, highlights the growing significance of these tournaments.”


Casteels stands tall as Al-Qadsiah continue to rise in the Saudi Pro League

Casteels stands tall as Al-Qadsiah continue to rise in the Saudi Pro League
Updated 24 February 2025
Follow

Casteels stands tall as Al-Qadsiah continue to rise in the Saudi Pro League

Casteels stands tall as Al-Qadsiah continue to rise in the Saudi Pro League
  • Belgian goalkeeper speaks to Arab News about the King’s Cup, superstar colleague Aubameyang and coach Michel’s motivation

LONDON: Something special is happening at Al-Qadsiah this season. Since returning to the Saudi Pro League after a five-year absence, coach Michel’s side — emboldened by a host of new summer arrivals — is defying expectations and stands on the brink of a historic campaign.

Currently third in the Saudi Pro League table after a 2-0 win over Al-Okhdood on Friday and with a King’s Cup semi-final against Al-Raed to come in April, Qadsiah have been one of the Kingdom’s most consistent sides in 2024-2025. Just as he did when winning the Saudi First Division title last season, Michel has built a team that is defensively sound, but sprinkled liberally with attacking stardust.

Providing Qadsiah’s solidity between the posts this time around is Belgium national team goalkeeper Koen Casteels, who ended a nine-year stint at Wolfsburg to move to the Kingdom last summer.

Casteels was one of several new arrivals, joining the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Julian Quinones and Nacho Fernandez in seeing Qadsiah’s potential to be more competitive than most normal newly-promoted sides.

“I think it was very clear from how the club talked to me before I signed, but also in the way they recruited other players, that there were big ambitions,” Casteels told Arab News. 

“But simply getting good players is not enough in football. I think the recruitment was very smart in every position — not only big names but smart decisions.

“Now we have a team that fits together very well and I think that’s one of the main reasons why we are now up there (at the top end of the table).”

Casteels admitted that seeing the exodus of talented players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema from Europe to Saudi Arabia piqued his interest in a move to the Kingdom, although he is keen to highlight the increasing depth in quality throughout the Saudi Pro League.

“It’s very nice to play against these big names but I think it’s far more than only these big names,” Casteels said. “I think there are also a lot of players who maybe don’t have the name of Ronaldo or Benzema but are just quality-wise very good; this is what you see in teams throughout the league — they all have good players.

“You see every transfer window that there are big names and good players coming to the league. That was also the point that made me say ‘OK, why shouldn't I go?’ Because the quality is improving and the league is getting better and better.”

Casteels was one of Qadsiah’s first summer acquisitions, announced before his participation in Euro 2024 with Belgium. It was followed by the marquee signings of Real Madrid stalwart Fernandez and former Barcelona and Arsenal forward Aubameyang, which really signalled Qadsiah’s intent for the 2024-2025 campaign.

“On the pitch they bring a lot of quality, experience and know-how in certain situations,” Casteels said of Nacho and Aubameyang. “Especially for me as a goalkeeper, it’s great to have a guy like Nacho in front of me who knows exactly what to do in different situations — making smart decisions and positioning himself.

“It’s very nice to play with those guys and obviously Auba is also scoring for us and doing well. Apart from the hard work that he does for us as a team, he’s entertaining too. It’s also nice to have a guy who is also speaking French. He’s a really great guy.

“Some people maybe would think he’s 35 and he’s just ending his career in Saudi Arabia, but he’s so hardworking. Every day I see him in the gym, still putting the work in. That’s also very important because we want to evolve as a team and we want to grow as a team and therefore we need everybody on their top level. These guys are doing that.”

With quality now running through the backbone of Qadsiah’s team, the club is enjoying its best season in more than 30 years. Qadsiah won the Crown Prince’s Cup in 1992, before adding the Saudi Federation Cup and Asian Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994; they remain the club’s only major trophies.

But with a convincing 3-0 victory over Al-Taawoun last month, Casteels and Co. put Qadsiah into the King’s Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1989. Now only Al-Raed stand in the club’s way of a first final — in which either Al-Ittihad or Al-Shabab would await.

“If you’re into the last four, I would lie if I say, ‘let’s only see in the next game’,” Casteels said. “Of course, if you’re into the last four, you want to win the tournament. But it also depends on a lot of factors and it is really the next game we have to win to get into the final. Then everything is possible.

“I have had some experiences in Germany where you face a team which on paper is maybe not the biggest. But it’s the cup and it’s the semi-final of the cup so you have to take it as an extremely difficult game. I think when there are still four teams left, there are no easy games anymore.

“It’s still a long way off so we will focus on the league and then the cup can come. But of course we are very hungry for it. I think all the players want to go into the final to see what happens there.”

Whether or not Michel’s side wins the King’s Cup, their league form may still be enough to carry Qadsiah to qualification for their first AFC Champions League Elite campaign. Casteels, however, is keen to take it one game at a time.

“I think if you focus on trying to get better every game or every training then maybe this (AFC Champions League qualification) will come automatically if you’re good enough. We are not thinking a lot about that to be honest at the moment — it’s not a big talking point in the dressing room.”

Casteels has been playing at the top level for his entire career — spending 13 years in Germany with Hoffenheim, Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg. Before that, he came through the academy of four-time Belgian Pro League winners Genk.

The goalkeeper is in illustrious company, with fellow Belgian national team players Yannick Carrasco, Christian Benteke, Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois also on Genk’s impressive list of academy graduates. Casteels is the same age as Courtois, but played a year ahead of the Real Madrid goalkeeper as both players emerged at Genk.

“We both had games on the weekend, which was very important for our development,” Casteels recalled. “I think he played one game for the Genk first team when he was 16 but then a few months later I went to Hoffenheim so we went our separate ways and had our own careers. 

“It was nice to have him with me at Genk. We were friends — going to the same school, sitting in the same class. We grew up together in Genk and played in two different youth teams so there was not really competition. We trained together a few times and obviously it’s nice to have quality goalkeepers because this also elevates you.”

When it comes to world-class goalkeepers, however, there was one name who stood head and shoulders above the rest as a role model for Casteels growing up.

“I always looked up to Edwin van der Sar because he was doing his job in a very easy way,” Casteels said. “He was always in the right position, good with his feet — and there was never too much show or shouting a lot.

“He was maybe not like the typical footballer — quite shy and with his feet on the ground. He would just do the job and I think this was something I could relate to.”

At Qadsiah, Casteel has quickly built a reputation as a reliable No. 1 whose solidity has helped his team have the meanest defence in the Saudi Pro League this season. The Belgian has conceded just 15 goals, and kept 11 clean sheets, although he is quick to credit the contributions of others.

“One of our strengths this season and why we kept so many clean sheets is that the whole team is defending,” he says. “The defence is doing well and they rely on the midfielders — then the midfielders rely on the attackers to press and run.”

Casteels also believes the guidance from Michel has been key to the club’s success so far this season and says that with the Spaniard at the helm, Qadsiah’s players believe that anything is possible.

“He is a very good coach tactically but also a very good people manager,” Casteels said. “He has a lot of experience and knows exactly what a team needs. He’s a guy who you can always go to talk to about something. He's very open-minded — like a father to us.

“This team fits well together and tactically I have to say every time when we followed the plan of the coach that we trained for in the week, we felt that we were at the right pace, even if we didn’t win. I can say that technically he was not wrong in any games — this is a great quality for any coach.”

 


Sakai optimistic of big race double for Japan on Saudi Cup card

Sakai optimistic of big race double for Japan on Saudi Cup card
Updated 21 February 2025
Follow

Sakai optimistic of big race double for Japan on Saudi Cup card

Sakai optimistic of big race double for Japan on Saudi Cup card
  • Experienced jockey rides Forever Young in Saturday’s main event at King Abdulaziz Racecourse

RIYADH: Jockey Ryusei Sakai is staying cool ahead of what will certainly be a high-pressure situation aboard Forever Young (JPN) in Saturday’s $20m Saudi Cup.

The Japanese colt displayed his suitability for the dirt track at King Abdulaziz Racecourse when he won the $1.5m Saudi Derby presented by ZOOD Realty a year ago, before finishing a fine third in both the Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic.

“Since he won the Tokyo Daishoten in December he had stayed at Yoshito Yahagi’s stable at Ritto Training Centre and remained in training … and then he started to have steady workouts three weeks before his trip to Saudi Arabia,” Sakai said. “I think everything has gone very well so far.”

Forever Young breezed for 1,300 meters on the dirt track under Sakai on Wednesday and had easy exercise for 60 minutes in the training yard at the quarantine stable on Thursday. In between, Sakai discovered Forever Young had drawn gate 14 of 14.

“He travelled to Riyadh very well. He has been very relaxed and looked confident since he has arrived,” Sakai said. “I have no worries about him. He is a very versatile type of horse and can handle any type of track condition.

“The wide gate is not a big concern and distance-wise there is no issue either. I understand this will be a very competitive race, but my focus is to show his run. I am really looking forward to Saturday.”

Sakai, Yahagi and owner Susumu Fujita also have Forever Young’s stablemate, Shin Emperor (FR), as a contender in the US$2m Howden Neom Turf Cup.

The 4-year-old Siyouni colt, a brother of 2020 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass, was a disappointing 12th in the Arc last October but bounced back to finish a good second to Do Deuce in November’s Group 1 Japan Cup.

“He looked great (when) he came back from the break after the Japan Cup,” Sakai said.

“As he is a French-bred horse and has travelled from France to Japan, from Japan to Europe, he is already an experienced traveler.

“Since he has arrived in Riyadh, he has been keeping good condition and has felt really good when I galloped him yesterday. The left-handed flat track here should be the perfect match for him, and I am very confident of his chances in the race if he can show his class.”


Cristiano Ronaldo to stream Riyadh Season Premier Padel P1 finals live on his YouTube channel

Cristiano Ronaldo to stream Riyadh Season Premier Padel P1 finals live on his YouTube channel
Updated 17 February 2025
Follow

Cristiano Ronaldo to stream Riyadh Season Premier Padel P1 finals live on his YouTube channel

Cristiano Ronaldo to stream Riyadh Season Premier Padel P1 finals live on his YouTube channel
  • World first for the sport as Premier Padel and Al-Nassr star collaborate to promote players globally

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo will be streaming the finals of the Riyadh Season Premier Padel P1 on his YouTube channel, as a part of his continued backing of the sport’s leading professional tour.

Ronaldo’s channel has over 74 million followers with access available in over 130 countries worldwide.

This initiative marks another significant step in Ronaldo’s commitment to growing the sport following his high-profile appearances during the Riyadh Season Premier Padel P1 tournament.

Coverage starts at 6 p.m. Saudi Arabia time on Monday.


Saudi Arabia makes debut at Asian Winter Games as 9th edition begins

Saudi Arabia makes debut at Asian Winter Games as 9th edition begins
Updated 07 February 2025
Follow

Saudi Arabia makes debut at Asian Winter Games as 9th edition begins

Saudi Arabia makes debut at Asian Winter Games as 9th edition begins
  • The event marks a milestone for Saudi Arabia, which is making its debut at the multi-sport competition as it gears up to host the 2029 Games

HARBIN, China: The 9th Asian Winter Games opened on Friday in Harbin, China, with a ceremony led by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The event marks a milestone for Saudi Arabia, which is making its debut at the multi-sport competition as it gears up to host the 2029 Games. The Saudi Winter Sports Federation, originally established in 2019, was restructured in 2022 into two separate governing bodies: the Saudi Ice Sports Federation and the Saudi Snow Sports Federation.

The Kingdom’s delegation at the games is headed by Prince Fahd bin Jalawi bin Abdulaziz bin Musaed, vice president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Member of the Executive Office of the Olympic Council of Asia.

The event runs until Feb. 18 and will feature around 1,500 athletes from 34 Asian countries. Among the Saudi participants, the Kingdom’s curling team is set to compete in five matches from Feb. 9 to 12 — facing off against teams from Qatar, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand — while three Saudi alpine skiers will compete in the slalom events: Fayik Abdi in the men’s, and Sharifa Al-Sudairi and Farhoud Joud in the women’s.

As the Kingdom continues to expand its sporting ambitions, its participation in the Asian Winter Games “represents another step in its broader vision to develop a competitive winter sports ecosystem on the international stage,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.