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DUBAI: Local fighters are set to join a strong line-up of international fighter at Quintet 5 in Dubai on Oct. 23.

UAE-based fighters including Thiago Sa, Talison Soares, Pouya Rahmani and Haitham Rida will take centre stage at the Coca-Cola Arena when a new team format in martial arts makes its Middle East debut in Dubai.

The survival format sees each team consisting of five fighters, with one member from each team starting the match and the only route to victory being submission. The winner stays on, and a new opponent from the other team steps up. If a match ends in a draw, then both competitors are eliminated. This continues until one team is completely eliminated with all five fighters defeated, and the other is declared the winner.

Four legends of martial arts will captain the teams in Dubai, with the reunion of Pride FC’s biggest stars: Kazushi Sakuraba (the founder of Quintet), Renzo Gracie, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Bob Sapp.

On the night, the teams will compete in a bracket format with two semifinals, and a final to crown the overall winner. Team Sakuraba and Team Gracie will face-off in one semifinal, while Team Bangtao will take on Team Nogueira in the other.

Team Nogueira’s Thiago Sa — head coach at the Team Nogueira gym in Dubai — said: “For years people have been saying they want to see me compete here, and now is the right time. Quintet is an incredible event, and an opportunity I am very excited about. The people of Dubai are in for an amazing show, and I hope it can inspire more people to understand and love the world of grappling and combat sport.”

Regional promoter for the event, Tarek Suleiman said the quality of the competitors is outstanding.

“You cannot underestimate just how good this group of fighters is. We have four teams packed with talent that is the envy of the world. We have multiple world champions, regional champions, and those who have competed at the highest levels in the biggest organizations. I am hugely proud that we also have incredible local talent within these teams. The Middle East is constantly growing when it comes to combat sports, and seeing these guys on a stage like Quintet will only inspire people in the region. This is going to be an unforgettable night — and one that can inspire even more growth in Middle East combat sport.”

The team breakdowns in full:

Team Sakuraba: Haisam Rida, Igor Tanabe, Taisei Sakuraba, Daisuke Nakamura, Oshima Sosuke

Team Gracie: Talison Soares, Delson Heleno, Neiman Gracie, Diego Freire, Anderson Wesiley

Team Nogueira: Pouya Rahmani, Abdelraouf Mido, Vetrov Nicolay, Thiago Sa, Zeliman Kashaev

Team Bangtao: Kemoy Anderson, Lucas Barbosa, Alex Schild, Kim Dong-hyun, PJ Barch

LONDON: England captain Harry Kane says his interest in returning to the Premier League has cooled because he is “fully all in” on Bayern Munich.
The 32-year-old Kane joined Bayern from Tottenham in the summer of 2023 and is under contract there until the summer of 2027.
The striker said that when leaving Spurs, he expected “for sure” that would one day return to English soccer. He’s no longer certain about that.
“In terms of staying longer (at Bayern), I could definitely see that,” said Kane, who has reported for England duty ahead of a friendly with Wales on Thursday and a World Cup qualifier in Latvia on Oct. 14. “I spoke openly a couple of weeks ago that I have not had those conversations with Bayern yet, but if they were to arise I would be willing to talk and have an honest conversation.
“Obviously it depends on how the next year or so goes and what we achieve together. Right now, I would say we are in a fantastic moment and I am not thinking about anything else. In terms of the Premier League, I don’t know — if you had asked me when I first left to go to Bayern, I would have said for sure I would come back. Now I have been there a couple of years I would probably say that has gone down a little bit, but I wouldn’t say I would never go back.”
Kane has scored 11 goals in his first six games in the Bundesliga, with Bayern taking a maximum 18 points.
Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund recently said the team is “probably witnessing the best version of Harry Kane there has ever been.”
“What I have learnt in my career is that different opportunities and different timings happen and things fall in place,” Kane said. “Going back to my first point with Bayern right now I am fully all in with Bayern.”
Kane won his first major trophy at club level last season when Bayern won the league and he said that’s “given me more motivation to do more and be better.”
“I think I’ve shown that this year,” he said. “I was interested in how I would feel after winning a trophy. Obviously, there’s still a lot more I want to achieve in terms of other trophies and bigger trophies for sure.
“But I think it was always just, in my head, ‘What I was going to feel like after I did achieve winning my first one?’ But for sure, I pushed myself the other way, in terms of being even better, eating even cleaner, doing more gym. Just trying to get the most out of what I’ve got right now.”