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Arab News
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
‘I like it hot!': J. Lo sizzles with killer dancing in Abu Dhabi heat
Returning to Abu Dhabi after her stellar performance in February, Jennifer Lopez danced the night away at the Etihad Arena in Yas Island on Tuesday as a part of her 'Up All Night' world tour. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ Performing iconic songs including 'On the Floor,' 'Ain't Your Mama' and 'Dance Again,' Lopez sizzled with her high energy and killer dance moves. Although I was disappointed 'Jenny From the Block' did not have its own moment to shine, Lopez still performed her 2002 hit single as a medley with Queen's 'We Will Rock You.' A post shared by Jennifer Lopez (@jlo) To celebrate her 56th year, she sang 'Birthday,' the single released on July 24, which was much appreciated by the crowd. The superstar thanked her fans and urged them to love one another and to pursue what they love. Lopez also joked about the UAE heat. 'I like it hot!' she said, fanning herself. With multiple outfit changes and quick intervals, the show switched from high energy songs to slow ballads and medleys. Lopez paid tribute to her Latin culture and performed some of her hit Spanish songs including 'Que Hiciste' and 'Si Una Vez.' She sang while dancing the flamenco in an outfit inspired by the traditional traje de flamenca, a dress traditionally worn by women at festivals in Andalusia, Spain. The hit singer is no stranger to the Gulf and turned heads in April at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah. And last November she hit the stage at the '1001 Seasons of Elie Saab' event in Riyadh.
What's On
a day ago
- Entertainment
- What's On
Michael Lives Forever is coming to Dubai this September
If you've ever wanted to see Michael Jackson live, this is the closest you're going to get. Rodrigo Teaser, one of the most acclaimed MJ tribute artists in the world, is bringing Michael Lives Forever to the Dubai Opera stage on Saturday, September 7. This isn't your average tribute act. We're talking full-scale production – iconic vocals, legendary dance moves, and stage presence that has even MJ's former choreographer calling it the real deal. The tracks you know by heart Expect to hear the tracks you grew up moonwalking to, Billie Jean , Thriller , Smooth Criminal , Beat It , Black or White – performed live and loud. Whether you know every lyric or just the hooks, this one will have you dancing all night. Who is Rodrigo Teaser? Not just a lookalike. Teaser is the only Latin American artist officially recognised by Sony Music as a Michael Jackson tribute performer. He's toured the world, performed with Jennifer Batten (MJ's longtime guitarist), and is now directed by Lavelle Smith Jr – yes, the same Lavelle who worked directly with Michael for years. The venue One of the city's most iconic venues, Dubai Opera is the perfect setting for this kind of show – theatre-level acoustics, comfy seating, and bang in the heart of Downtown. The details Location: Dubai Opera, Downtown Dubai Times: Saturday, September 7 | Show starts at 8pm Cost: Starting from Dhs295 Booking: Get your tickets via Contact: @dubaiopera More big names If you're planning your concert calendar, the UAE is stacked: Jennifer Lopez at Etihad Arena on July 29, Lil Baby on October 18, Elissa at Dubai Opera on November 3, Enrique Iglesias in November, and Katy Perry closing the year in December. > Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC analyst says Robert Whittaker's title days over after UFC on ABC 9 loss
Din Thomas was impressed with the fighting spirit of Robert Whittaker at UFC on ABC 9, but can't overlook the negative career impact of the result against Reiner de Ridder. Thomas was on-site Saturday in Abu Dhabi serving as the broadcast analyst when former middleweight champion Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) suffered a split decision loss to de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at Etihad Arena. It was a competitive battle with both men getting hurt at moments and fighting hard until the end, and two of three judges had it for the former two-division ONE Championship titleholder. At could've been a deflating moment for Whittaker, who lost consecutive fights for the first time since 2014. Instead, he only said he was "butt hurt" about what happened then left the octagon with no further excuses. And Thomas likes what he saw in that moment. "Even when the result was read and he lost, he still seemed to be in a good place," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "I like this for Robert Whittaker because he's not sour, he didn't seem like he was complaining and he wasn't pointing fingers at anybody. He knew what he was in with that fight and he knew it was a tough fight, he knew it wasn't a dominant performance so neither fighter could complain either way. "I was really impressed with Robert Whittaker his ability to withstand those hard times in the fight and have a lot of positivity left a lot of confidence in his ability to win. ... In the trenches in this fight, Robert Whittaker still seemed to be able to bounce back, and I liked that. I thought it was inspiring." Despite his commendable performance, results are almost always the ultimate dictator in the UFC, and now Whittaker's record shows four losses in his past seven fights, albeit to elite competition. At 34, Whittaker has logged more than four hours of total fight time during his run at 185 pounds. It's a crossroads moment going forward, and with the top of the division being as intruiging as ever, Thomas said it would be a good time for Whittaker to drop down in rankings and fight someone who will truly serve as a barometer. "I think you give him Roman Kopylov," Thomas said. "I think you give him Kopylov before you start feeding him to the guys. Before we say, 'We're done with you and we're going to start feeding you.' Because Kopylov is somewhere in the back of the rankings. You give him Kopylov to say, 'We're giving you No. 15 and if you win that we keep you up here. We'll keep you fighting these guys. But if you lose that, now you've got to fight the up-and-comers.'" Fighting up-and-comers is surely a far cry from what Whittaker wants to do, but Thomas said it's not an easy spot. "The Reaper" needs a victory to keep his head above water with the emerging contenders, but as far as the pre-fight plans he expressed to have a "fairytale end" to his career with UFC gold? Thomas said that seems like a long shot. "No, if I had to bet I wouldn't assume he gets there," Thomas said. "It's interesting though because he said he had a four-fight plan to get back to a title. Now it looks like it's going to take about four fights. With a win over RDR it would've of been less than four fights." To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst: Robert Whittaker's title days over after Abu Dhabi loss
The National
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Let's Get Loud: Ten Jennifer Lopez songs that defined her career
back on the road. The Up All Night: Live in 2025 tour kicked off on July 8 in Spain and is set to stop next at Abu Dhabi's Etihad Arena on Tuesday. The show is a greatest hits set, blending early classics like Let's Get Loud and Jenny from the Block with tracks from This Is Me... Now and her latest song, Wreckage of You, which she performed on stage for the first time earlier this month. With a career spanning more than two decades, Lopez has an expansive catalogue, covering everything from RnB, pop, EDM, Latin ballads and trap, sung in both English and Spanish. It shows an artist who, despite the fame, the peaks and the backlash, has yet to lose her drive. This tour isn't a comeback but an affirmation of where she is today. Here are 10 songs that soundtrack that evolution. 1. If You Had My Love (1999) Glossy and emotionally distant, J-Lo's debut single isn't really a breakup song and more like the coda to one. There's no pleading, no anger, just a cool detachment, as if she's already walked away. Its distant tone is what makes the track interesting. It's not a kiss-off but a finale. The production is sleek and the vocals are composed while Lopez sounds capable and assured, proving to naysayers she could sing. It is smart and calculated start. 2. Let's Get Loud (1999) Originally written by Gloria Estefan and her husband Emilio, the song was first considered for Estefan herself. But she felt the track – with its vibrancy and urban pulse – was better suited to a younger artist. Lopez, then on the cusp of launching her music career, took on and owned it. You can still hear Estefan's imprint throughout: the congas, the brass and the chant-like chorus. It's the sound of Latin pop being rejigged for a mainstream stage – something Estefan pioneered, paving the way for artists like Lopez and Shakira. Where If You Had My Love kept things cool, Let's Get Loud puts Lopez's vocals in the front and centre. It's full of attitude and became a staple of her live shows, from Vegas residencies to stadiums and sports events around the world. 3. Love Don't Cost a Thing (2001) With its percolating percussions and streamlined groove, it is an almost a picture-perfect snapshot of early-2000s RnB. The sound is sleek, mid-tempo and driven more by attitude than vocal fireworks. A reason the track works so well is Lopez herself, as she serves the song. The delivery is sharp, each line clipped with precision. The lyrics became a kind of cultural slogan, a meme before memes were a thing. At this point, Lopez was in transition to full-blown pop star and you can hear that confidence all over the record. 4. I'm Real (Murder Remix) with Ja Rule (2001) When people talk about the track, they're almost always referring to the remix with hip-hop star Ja Rule. He was at the height of his run back then and his rumbling verses gave the piece the grit it needed. The original version felt flat by comparison. This remix, though, was hazy, unhurried and full of the kind of RnB-rap chemistry flavour defining the early 2000s. Lopez's soft, sultry coos is a great foil for Ja Rule's raspy raps. It was a great collaboration, and a chart-topping summer hit. 5. Jenny from the Block (2002) Maybe it was inspired by the movie roles she was taking at the time, but with this track, Lopez fully orchestrates her origin story. The samples – from The Beatnuts and Boogie Down Productions – nod to her hip-hop influences, but the bigger play here is brand-building. This was less about the music and more about shaping the J-Lo identity: grounded, street-smart and media-savvy. It worked then – but the same strategy hasn't always resonated. You can draw a straight line from Jenny from the Block to the more calculated moments in her later career, like the misfire of her latest album. This was one of the times she got the balance right. 6. Get Right (2005) Lopez has a bunch of tracks that feel like outliers and Get Right is one of them. Built around a squawking sax loop and twitchy percussion, it's one of her most rhythm-driven songs. There's no real hook to speak of, just forward motion. The vocals are clipped, staccato, almost functioning like another part of the beat. It works though. The whole thing holds together, and it quietly marks one of her first proper steps into club territory – something she would go on to perfect with On the Floor a few years later. 7. Que Hiciste (2007) This marked Lopez's move into Spanish-language pop – taken from her album Como Ama una Mujer – but instead of chasing the bright pop energy of someone like Shakira, she leaned into balladry. The production is heavy on cinematic strings and slow builds, but what really stands out is how it opened up her voice. Unlike her RnB material, which is often heavily treated, this kind of Spanish-language pop demands vocal umph – and Lopez rises to the occasion. It's one of the few records where we hear her relatively unadorned vocals. While it didn't make much noise in English-speaking markets, it remains a well-regarded effort. 8. On the Floor with Pitbull (2011) By the the blazing track arrived Lopez had been relatively quiet on the charts for a few years. Hence she went to Moroocan-Swede RedOne – one of the hottest pop producers at the time – best known for his bombastic, dancefloor-ready work with artists like Lady Gaga. The result was On the Floor: a stomping club-ready track that takes the familiar Lambada melody, gives it a new bassline and turns it into a stadium-sized banger. Lopez, ever the strategist, released the song in tandem with her debut as a judge on American Idol, ensuring maximum exposure. And it worked, with the song introducing her to a new generation of fans while still giving a nod to her Latin roots. Even if the whole thing feels a little too calibrated, it still sounds glorious. It topped the charts in more than 20 countries and brought Lopez back to pop's top tier. 9. El Anillo (2018) Coming with its dose of real-life drama, as fans linked the lyrics to the approaching dissolution of her relationship with then-partner and baseball athlete Alex Rodriguez, the real change here is musical – with Lopez stepping deeper into Latin trap that was gaining ground through artists like Bad Bunny and Ozuna. Earning a Latin Grammy nomination, El Anillo proves Lopez still does her share in evolving in the evolving Latin pop space. 10. Wreckage of You (2025) Lopez's latest song, which premiered live in June during her tour stop in Spain, forms one of the most dramatic moments of the show – a stripped-back piano ballad that sounds more like a confession than a performance. 'Thank you for the scars you left on my heart,' she sings. 'Now watch me climb out of the wreckage of you.' How you want to interpret that is up to you. Is it about Ben Affleck? It doesn't really matter. It's a big, inspirational ballad about life after divorce. Her fans will lap it up and it could very well shape the sound of whatever Lopez is working on next.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC on ABC 9 post-event facts: A new single-fight knockdown record
The UFC made first of two stops in Abu Dhabi this year on Saturday with UFC on ABC 9 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. With a number of historic feats throughout the card, the night was capped off by former two-division ONE Championship titleholder Reinier de Ridder (20-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC), who won a debated split decision over former UFC champ Robert Whittaker (26-9 MMA, 17-7 UFC) to potentially earn a title shot. For more on the numbers stemming from the show, check below for MMA Junkie's post-event facts from UFC on ABC 9. Event stats The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $191,000. Debuting fighters went 0-1 at the event. Shara Magomedov, Marc-Andre Barriault, Muslim Salikhov and Steven Nguyen earned $50,000 UFC on ABC 9 fight-night bonuses. UFC on ABC 9 had an announced attendance of _. No live gate was revealed for the event. Betting favorites went 4-7 on the card. One fight had even odds. Betting favorites fell to 15-10 in UFC headliners this year. Total fight time for the 12-bout card was 2:32:59. Reinier de Ridder def. Robert Whittaker De Ridder's four-fight UFC winning streak at middleweight is tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the division behind Dricus Du Plessis (nine), Caio Borralho (seven) and Anthony Hernandez (seven). Whittaker is on his first losing skid since February 2014. Whittaker fell to 14-5 since he moved up to the UFC middleweight division in November 2014. Whittaker has suffered three of his seven UFC losses by decision. Petr Yan def. Marcus McGhee Petr Yan (19-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) has earned eight of his 11 UFC victories by decision. Marcus McGhee (10-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career. Shara Magomedov def. Marc-Andre Barriault Shara Magomedov (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has earned three of his four UFC victories by decision. Marc-Andre Barriault (17-10 MMA, 6-9 UFC) has suffered six of his 10 career losses by decision. Asu Almabayev def. Jose Ochoa Abu Almabayev (22-3 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has earned four of his five UFC victories by decision. Jose Ochoa (8-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision. Bogdan Guskov def. Nikita Krylov Bogdan Guskov's (18-3 MMA, 4-1 UFC) four-fight UFC winning streak at light heavyweight is the third-longest active streak in the division behind Carlos Ulberg (eight) and Azamat Murzakanov (five). Guskov has earned all 18 of his career victories by stoppage. Guskov's four-fight UFC stoppage streak is tied for second-longest among active fighters in the company behind Jean Silva (five). Nikita Krylov (29-11 MMA, 11-9 UFC) fell to 4-6 since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in September 2018. Krylov has suffered nine of his 11 career losses by stoppage. Bryce Mitchell def. Said Nurmagomedov Bryce Mitchell (18-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) was successful in his UFC bantamweight debut. Mitchell has earned seven of his nine UFC victories by decision. Said Nurmagomedov (18-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) has suffered all five of his career losses by decision. Muslim Salikhov def. Carlos Leal Salikhov (22-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has earned 17 of his 22 career victories by stoppage. He's finished six of his nine UFC wins by knockout. Carlos Leal (22-7 MMA, 1-2 UFC) suffered the first knockout loss of his career. Davey Grant def. Da'Mon Blackshear Davey Grant (16-7 MMA, 8-6 UFC) has earned four of his eight UFC victories by decision. Da'Mon Blackshear (17-8-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC) has suffered seven of his eight career losses by decision. Tabatha Ricci def. Amanda Ribas. Amanda Ribas' (12-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of her career. She hasn't earned a victory since November 2023. Ribas has suffered five of her seven career losses by stoppage. Billy Elekana def. Ibo Aslan Ibo Aslan (14-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) suffered the first decision loss of his career. Steven Nguyen def. Mohammad Yahya Nguyen (9-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has earned eight of his 10 career victories by stoppage. Nguyen's six knockdowns landed marked the single-fight record for a UFC bout. Nguyen's five knockdowns landed in Round 1 marked the single-round record for a UFC bout. Nguyen became the second fighter in UFC history to land four or more knockdowns in a single round. Josh Emmett also accomplished the feat at UFC Fight Night 118. Mohammad Yahya's (12-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC) three-fight losing skid is the longest of his career. He hasn't earned a victory since February 2023. Yahya has suffered five of his six career losses by stoppage. Martin Buday def. Marcus Buchecha Martin Buday's (16-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) three-fight UFC winning streak at heavyweight is tied with Tom Aspinall for the second-longes active streak in the division behind Waldo Cortes-Acosta (five). Buday has earned six of his seven UFC victories by decision. Marcus Buchecha (5-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has suffered both of his career losses by decision. UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript. Check out all the best stats from UFC on ABC 9, which … UFC on ABC 9 post-event facts: UFC Abu Dhabi post-facts: This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC on ABC 9 post-event facts: A new single-fight knockdown record
