48 hours in pictures, 1 June 2025
Through the lens: The Citizen's Picture Editors select the best news photographs from South Africa and around the world.
Visitors in costume take part in the TwitchCon Europe gaming and livestreaming event at Rotterdam Ahoy arena, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 31 May 2025. TwitchCon will gather thousands of streamers, gaming fans, and industry professionals worldwide in Rotterdam from 31 May to 01 June. Picture: EPA-EFE/ROBIN UTRECHT
Ukrainian army amputee veteran Andrii dances with his partner Monika during the 'Brave Hearts' charity ball near Kyiv, Ukraine, 31 May 2025, amid the Russian invasion. The 'Brave Hearts' charity ball, an initiative of the U+ System prosthetics and rehabilitation center aimed at supporting Ukrainian military personnel with life-altering injuries from the war, plans to raise funds for prosthetics and the rehabilitation of veterans and servicemen currently awaiting assistance at the center. Picture: EPA-EFE/SERGEY DOLZHENKO Ineeleng Kavindama from Botswana enjoys the moment at the Africa Fest SA 2025 on May 31, 2025 in Kempton Park, South Africa. The annual one-day cultural exposition brings together representatives from diverse African nations to showcase, celebrate, and share their respective cultural heritage through cuisine, clothing, art, music, and traditional practices. (Photo by Gallo Images/Antony Kaminju) A motorcyclist performs during the Day of Moscow Sports Festival in Moscow, Russia, 31 May 2025. The festival, organized by Moscow authorities, aims to promote a healthy lifestyle. Picture: EPA-EFE/MAXIM SHIPENKOV People search a flooded area after heavy rainfall in the town of Mokwa, Niger State, Nigeria, 31 May 2025. More than 100 bodies have been recovered as search and rescue operations continue following a devastating flood that struck the Kpege area of Mokwa in the early hours of 29 May 2025, Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said. Picture: EPA-EFE/AFOLABI SOTUNDE A Greek Leopard 2A6 tank operates during the Immediate Response 25 military exercise at a military training center, near the town of Negotino, Republic of North Macedonia, 31 May 2025. The exercise, part of the DEFENDER 25 series, involves the armed forces of seven NATO member countries and two partner countries, and runs from 26 May until 09 June 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/GEORGI LICOVSKI Check dams set up on the water from the Lonza river after the formation of a lake on the last houses of the village of Blatten, Switzerland, 31 May 2025. A large part of the Blatten village, located in the Loetschental Valley in the canton of Valais, was buried under masses of ice, mud, and rock on 28 May after several million cubic meters of rock fell from the Kleines Nesthorn mountain above the village, resulting in the collapse of the Birch Glacier. Picture: EPA-EFE/CYRIL ZINGARO A model presents a creation by Indonesian designer Ivan Yogi Susanto during the Indonesia Fashion Week 2025, in Jakarta, Indonesia, 31 May 2025. The IFW event runs from 28 May to 01 June 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/BAGUS INDAHONO People carry their belongings through floodwater in Nagaon, Assam, India, 31 May 2025. At least five people died due to landslides in Assam in the previous 24 hours, as continuous heavy rainfall has caused flooding in six districts, affecting over 10,000 people, according to the Assam State Disaster Management Authority. Picture: EPA-EFE/ANUWAR ALI HAZARIKA French equestrian artist Lorenzo performs during the 24th edition of the Hassan II Trophy of 'Tbourida', Morocco's Championship of Traditional Equestrian Arts, in Rabat, Morocco, 31 May 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/JALAL MORCHIDI An Indian Hindu devotee walks barefoot on hot charcoal, a practice called firewalking, during a Hindu festival in honor of the goddess Mariyamma or Maha Shakti in Bangalore, India, 30 May 2025. Devotees perform the religious practice of walking on fire as an exchange for a wish or blessing granted by the Hindu goddess Parvathy. Picture: EPA-EFE/JAGADEESH NV A young participant paints a wooden cat figure during the annual Hermitage Cat Day celebration in the courtyard of the Hermitage State Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, 31 May 2025. The day is dedicated to the 60 Hermitage cats residing in the museum's basement, which has been hosting cats since the 18th century. Picture: EPA-EFE/ANATOLY MALTSEV Visitors slide down a 50-meter-long, two-track foam slide during the Pink Soup Festival in Vilnius, Lithuania, 31 May 2025. The festival, in its third consecutive year, celebrates Lithuania's iconic summer dish, 'saltibarsciai,' a cold beet soup. Picture: EPA-EFE/VALDA KALNINA Firefighters and civil defense members carry out a mock drill to train civilians and security personnel to respond in case of an attack during Operation Shield, a large-scale civil defense exercise in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, 31 May 2025. The drills are part of the preparations following the uncertainty in the region after the recent India-Pakistan conflagration, following which a ceasefire was announced. Picture: EPA-EFE/FAROOQ KHAN A man stands next to a bull at the Roskilde Agricultural Show, in Roskilde, Denmark, 30 May 2025, on the opening day. The agricultural fair runs from 30 May to 01 June 2025. Picture: EPA-EFE/IDA MARIE ODGAARD
MORE: 24 hours in pictures, 30 May 2025
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The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
OPINION: Chimaev's fighting style is effective, but it's not very entertaining
You can't help but wonder whether the new champion will be good for the sport. Yes, he may the best middleweight mixed martial arts fighter in the world, and yes, he is now the champion, but just how good is this result for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)? Undefeated Russian, Khamzat Chimaev, put on a wrestling masterclass when he completely dominated South Africa's middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis at UFC319 in Chicago on Sunday. As a fan of the sport, I am slightly worried about what impact this is going to have on a division synonymous with spectacular knockouts and bone-breaking submissions. Yes, what Chimaev did on Sunday was effective, but as far as entertainment value goes, fans aren't going to be queueing to watch two high-profile athletes lie on the ground for 25 minutes to determine who is the best in the world. According to online sources, the cheapest ticket to watch that fight at the United Centre was $700 (over R12,000) and the most expensive was over $11,000 (over R193,000). Even the pay-per-view tickets to watch the fight at home would have set you back $60 (over R1,000). Now I would be extremely annoyed if I coughed up that sort of money to watch what unfolded on Sunday. Fans must get what they pay for Yes, there were other fights on the cards and, yes, they were a lot better than the main event, but the reality is it is the main event that sells the tickets. The previous champions – Israel Adesanya, Sean Strickland, Robert Whitaker and Du Plessis – made sure the fans got what they paid for, putting up exciting displays of mixed martial arts, even when the fights went the distance. Chimaev – who has a reported 10 million followers on Instagram – is an extremely popular figure, but even he was booed by the sold-out crowd in Chicago on Sunday. The middleweight division is extremely stacked with plenty of exciting talent coming through the ranks – Du Plessis being on that list, and he's sure to be back contending again – but the question now must be, can anyone stop this Russian? At the end of the day, it is the fans who make or break sport, and if they aren't happy, then you have a problem.
The South African
3 days ago
- The South African
Drake 'curse': Did US rapper bet on Dricus?
US rapper Drake has been roped into the UFC World Champion title loss of Dricus du Plessis to Khamzat Chimaev. According to many social media users, the artist's 'curse' is to blame for the South African's defeat. On Saturday, 16 August, the Russian-born wrestler dominated the fight against his opponent in the Octagon. According to a Grok post, Drake reportedly bet $2 million (R35 million) on Dricus du Plessis to win by submission against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319. However, the AI chatbot's claim is unverified and is void of credible sources. Drake has made no mention of placing a bet on the UFC fight. It wouldn't be the first time Drake was linked to a UFC fight featuring Dricus du Plessis. According to MailOnline, Drake lost $700 000 (R13 million) after betting on Dricus to lose his fight against Sean Strickland last year. The fight – which took place in Drake's home country of Canada in January 2024 – was attended by the Grammy-award-winning star himself. Just hours earlier, Drake shared a look at this betting slip – which had a $700 000 wager on Strickland winning. He captioned the post: ''And, we're going to fight night,' while tagging UFC president Dana White. Dricus beat Strickland via a split vote, winning the UFC Middleweight World Champion belt. Fast forward to August 2024, Drake bet $450 000 (R7,9 million) on Nigerian MMA fighter Israel 'Izzy' Adesanya, who contended the title. Again, Dricus won the fight, this time via submission. The cheeky South African tweeted: 'From the bottom of my heart once again. THANK YOU Drake'. In 2023, Drake lost a substantial amount of cash after he wagered money on Israel Adesanya to beat Sean Strickland, who was the reigning champion at the time. Drake then lost another big payday after backing Adesanya to beat Brazilian Alex Pereira in October. A few months later, Drake lost another bet when his favourite Leon Edwards lost to Colby Covington at UFC 296 in December. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
3 days ago
- The South African
The man who defeated Dricus du Plessis: Who is Khamzat Chimaev?
Here are FIVE things to know about the new UFC middleweight champion, Khamzat Chimaev, who defeated South Africa's Dricus du Plessis for the title at UFC 319 at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday. Du Plessis lost his UFC middleweight title to Chimaev with all three judges scoring the fight 50-44. Du Plessis had captured UFC gold at the beginning of 2024, dethroning Sean Strickland at UFC 297. Later in 2024, he defended the title against one of the best middleweight champions of all time, Nigerian-born New Zealand mixed martial artist, Israel Adesanya. Du Plessis then kicked off 2025 by defending his title in a rematch against Strickland. As previously reported by The South African , Chimaev landed a UFC record number of 529 (out of 567) total strikes and takedowns (12 out of 17 attempted) for a middleweight title fight. Take a look at Dricus's fiancee's sweet words after his loss He is a Russian-Emirati mixed martial artist Khamzat Chimaev has lived in three different countries throughout his life. He was born in Chechnya, Russia. In 2011, he decided to leave Russia and moved to Sweden. One of his brothers was working in Sweden and wanted his family to move there. He spent a few years in Sweden and acquired citizenship. In 2023 reports claimed that he received citizenship from the United Arab Emirates as he was training in Dubai and Abu Dhabi The UFC middleweight champion is 31-years-old having been born on 1 May 1994 He remains undefeated with a 15-0 record Khamzat Chimaev reportedly got married in 2022. However, he has not spoken of his wife and keeps her off his social media. Therefore, not much information about his marriage is known. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
