Stephanie Kuye Blog .

Former lightweight champion, Conor McGregor, is gearing up for his UFC 229 pay-per-view (PPV) main event, where he’ll face the division’s most punishing ground fighter in the form of undefeated Sambo sensation Khabib Nurmagomedov. And despite the tomfoolery that accompanies all things McGregor, one thing you can never take away from “Notorious” is his desire to win. With that in mind, the power-punching Irishman has shut down the media — and just about everyone else — as he trains for what could be the most challenging fight of his career. And UFC isn’t happy about it. Transcription courtesy of FrankieNYC. While McGregor is never really out of the gym for an extended period of time, there is a marked difference between “training” and preparing for an actual mixed martial arts (MMA) fight, which includes but is not limited to gameplanning, weight cutting, and long hours inside the gym. McGregor also has to take into account that he’s not stepped foot inside the cage f...

Living legend Janet Jackson was honored with the Icon Award at the 2018 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards, at the Woodruff Arts Center Symphony Hall in Atlanta on Thursday, Aug. 30. The music diva was presented with the Icon award during a surprise appearance from rapper Missy Elliott, who celebrated the “Black Cat” singer by giving a speech peppered with her song lyrics, according to WENN.com. BMI presented the Icon award to Ms. Jackson “in recognition of her extraordinary career achievements, countless contributions and her rich catalog of music and artistry that transcends generations”. The 52-year-old was also feted at the Radio Disney Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards and, earlier this week, the Black Girls Rock! Awards. BMI also paid tribute to the late Aretha Franklin, who died earlier this month following a battle with advanced pancreatic cancer, aged 76. Her star-studded funeral is currently underway in Detroit, Michigan. ' The organization noted that the Que...

Serena Williams coasted to a straight sets win over Germany’s Carina Witthoeft on Wednesday to set up a 3rd round rematch with her sister Venus Williams at the 2018 U.S. Open in the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows, NY on Friday, Aug. 31. Also on Wednesday, 16th ranked Venus Williams defeated Italy’s Camila Giorgi in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5, to advance to the third round where she will likely have a rough time against her determined sister, Serena. 17th ranked Serena wore a lavender Tutu designed by Virgil Abloh for his Off-White label in collaboration with Nike. Meanwhile, 3rd ranked defending women’s singles champion Sloane Stephens (pictured) dropped the first set against Ukrainian qualifier Anhelina Kalinina before coasting to a 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win to reach the third round on Friday against two-time Grand Slam champion Victoria Azarenka, who won’t go down without a fight. More photos:

David Adeleke  AKA Davido, on Thursday reported at the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) Permanent Orientation Camp, Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos State. The 'Assurance' crooner revealed this in a post on his Instagram handle, which he captioned “Arriving at camp today”. The picture showed corps members, falling over themselves, as they tried to catch a glimpse of the singer, as he was driven into the camp in a white vehicle. One would  kinda wonder what the 'A-List' artiste is going to do at the Iyana Ipaja camp in Lagos since the singer is already a 'made man' and barely needs to undergo the process, while others thought it was probably a celebrity stunt. Surpriiiiiise!!!Baba Imade has really shocked everyone with this latest move. His ”Assurance” bae Chioma, has since come under fire for dropping out of Babcock University as an undergraduate to follow Davido everywhere who is a graduate of the same school and has now enrolled in the NYSC scheme. ...

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has asked four banks andMTN Nigeria to refund the sum of $8bn over illegal foreign exchange deals. The Apex Bank also fined Standard Chartered Bank, Stanbic IBTC Nigeria, Citibank Nigeria and Diamond the sum of N5.87bn for the infraction. Figures released by the CBN yesterday indicate that the highest fine of N2,470,604,767.13 was slammed on Standard Chartered Bank, while Stanbic IBTC Nigeria was fined the sum of N1,885,852,847.45. For its punishment, Citibank Nigeria was penalized in the sum of N1,265,541,562.31, just as Diamond Bank was directed to pay the sum of N250 million for violating extant rules. A statement by the CBN Director, Corporate Communications, Isaac Okorafor, said that “the actions of the apex bank became necessary following allegations of remittance of foreign exchange with irregular Certificates of Capital Importation (CCIs) issued on behalf of some offshore investors of MTN Nigeria Communications Limited and subsequent...

Serena William’s infant daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. turns 1 on Saturday, but Serena and her husband Alexis Ohanian aren’t planning to celebrate with a birthday cake and gifts. At a press conference ahead of the U.S. Open last weekend, Serena explained why she and her husband won’t mark their baby’s 1st birthday with a lavish party. “Olympia doesn’t celebrate birthdays,” said Williams. “We’re Jehovah’s Witnesses, so we don’t do that,” she said. Jehovah’s Witnesses are Christians who don’t celebrate birthdays or Christmas because they believe holidays have pagan origins. They also don’t believe in accepting gifts that celebrate holidays. Other famous Jehovah’s Witnesses in Black history include Serena’s sister Venus Williams, and the late musicians Michael Jackson, Selena Quintanilla Pérez and Prince. Michael eventually dissociated himself from the Jehovah’s Witnesses because they disapproved of his music, particularly “Thriller” with its supernatural theme.

Janet Jackson honored her brother Michael Jackson on his 60th birthday (Aug. 29) by recreating his star-studded music video for his hit song “Remember the Time” (released in 1992). The 52-year-old pop icon teamed with Instagram comedians Kwaylon Rogers and King Bach to recreate “Remember the Time” to honor her older brother. Michael died of a drug overdose at age 50 in his Holmby Hills, CA mansion on June 25, 2009. In the original music video, directed by John Singleton in 1992, Michael plays a talented palace performer who risks losing his head if he doesn’t entertain the easily bored queen (played by supermodel Iman). When the queen takes a sudden romantic interest in the charming Michael, her furious husband (played by Eddie Murphy) orders his head chopped off. But Michael gives Magic Johnson and his goons the slip, while setting the stage for one of the greatest dance sequences in music video history. The original music video was inspired by Eddie Murphy’s 1988 co...

British Prime Minister Theresa May has arrived in Lagos State, Nigeria . She was received at the Murtala Muhammed International airport by Governor Akinwumi Ambode, accompanied by his deputy, among other state officials. The Prime Minister and Governor Ambode later held a brief meeting at the presidential wing of the airport, discussing trade and business-related issues. Mrs May is expected to later visit Salvation Army Headquarters in Lagos and meet with some victims of modern day slavery. She is also expected to meet business leaders at FMDQ Security Exchange building in Victoria Island. Mrs May earlier arrived in Nigeria today and met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja. May’s visit to Nigeria is part of her tour of some African countries.

Popular Nigerian 'A- List' musician, David Adeleke  aka Davido, has finally joined the mandatory National Youth Service Corp, NYSC on Tuesday. Davido is a  Music graduate from Babcock University. The singer shared a photo of himself via his Instagram page on Tuesday  in the full NYSC uniform. He also wrote on his Instagram page, “ Otondo OBO,” “Tying up every loose end!" NYSC is a one-year mandatory service for any Nigerian graduate below the age of 30 years. Every Nigerian graduate must compulsorily  undergo the training to qualify for gainful employment in the country.

A former WWE performer posted a concerning tweet on Monday night in which he threatened to shoot himself during the live broadcast of Monday Night Raw from Toronto. According to Wrestling News Source, Toronto police are reportedly investigating a troubling tweet from former WWE performer Jason Sensation, who claimed to have gotten a gun through security at Scotiabank Arena. The full tweet read as follows: "I got my gun through security & will shoot myself in the head & kill myself during tonight's #RAW in Toronto. Don't ya dare miss it!!! Thanks for the memories @WWE" Per the report, Sensation portrayed Owen Hart in the DX/Nation of Domination comedy skit during the Attitude Era in the late 1990s. The report also noted that Sensation said he was suffering from depression in his Twitter bio. His profile has since been taken offline. Police are reportedly walking the arena in search of the former WWE performer.

Two children were on Monday feared dead in an early morning fire at Igbudu in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta. News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fire, which occurred at about 2 a.m, also destroyed property, worth millions of naira. The victims included one-year-old Wealth Enorke and four-year-old Kesiena Lucky, said to be children of two sisters, Elohor Lucky and Ufuoma. Eyewitness account said the incident might have been caused by a lighted candle allegedly put by the grandmother of the deceased children. The account further said that the grandmother, a kerosene retailer, might have purchased adulterated kerosene, which caught the flame from the burning candle. It was learnt that the woman succeeded in rescuing four of the children in her custody before she raised the alarm that attracted their neighbours. The fire was said to have spread to other parts of the building and trapped the deceased before help could come to them. Speaking on the ...

Aya Koyama, a pioneer in the women’s mixed martial arts community, has passed away at age 45 after a battle with Cancer. Koyama, better known as “Aliya”, was relatively unknown to mixed martial arts fans in the United States, but began competing professionally in MMA in May 2001. She amassed a record of 4-10-1 with all fights taking place in Japan. Her last MMA fight took place eight years ago, a loss to Miki Morifuji in 2010. She fought for promotions such as DEEP, Jewels, and Smackgirl. ‘Aliya’ was also a professional wrestler (joshi). She debuted in 1996 for Jd’ Star and later competed for promotions such as All Japan Pro Wrestling. She returned to pro wrestling and Japanese Women Pro-Wrestling Project in 2005.

MULTIPLE people have been shot in Jacksonville, Florida, with police confirming there have been multiple fatalties. It is understood that a shooter opened fire at a video game bar at the Jacksonville Landing, a festival marketplace in Downtown Jacksonville, where NFL fans were taking part in the Madden 19 e-sports tournament. Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has described it as a “mass shooting” and confirmed there have been “multiple fatalities”. Reporters tweeting from the scene have said there have been reports of at least four deaths and 10 injured.

Phumzile Mabope, the 19-year-old responsible for the rape and murder of a senior citizen in Uitenhage, has been found guilty on a slew of charges. On 23 February 2017, Mabope scaled a face brick wall in order to steal avocados from a tree on the Luyt Street property. He then noticed the door to the home was open. Mabope made his way inside the home and began looking for items to steal. He ransacked the bedroom and moved onto the kitchen. While in the kitchen he was disturbed by a noise and chose to hide under a bed. Later, he returned to the kitchen for a second time and proceeded to raid the cupboards. Maria Vermaak, the 95-year-old homeowner, unwittingly returned back to her place of residence, while Mabope rummaged through her belongings. This is when the home invasion turned deadly. Herald Live covered Mabope’s testimony in which admits: My intention was to have sex with a corpse” – Mabope Mabope then proceeded to strangle the senior citizen with a telephone c...

The Third Mainland Bridge which was temporarily closed for Investigative Maintenance Test, reopens by 5pm on Sunday as announced by the Lagos State Government. According to a statement by Dr Taiwo Salaam, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, "the decision to reopen the bridge earlier than announced followed the completion of the test by engineers". The Government thanked motorists and residents for their cooperation and patience, while the bridge was closed. The bridge was temporarily closed at midnight last Thursday for the test, which was initially scheduled to last till Sunday midnight.

US senator John McCain, the maverick Republican who survived a Vietnam War prison camp and ran unsuccessfully for president, has died at the age of 81 after struggling with an aggressive form of brain cancer. The six-term Republican senator had been suffering from a number of health problems in recent years. He had also been undergoing treatment for glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer, since December 2017. He had previously survived the removal of non-invasive melanomas at least three times. A statement from Senator McCain's office said his wife Cindy and other family members were with him when he died. "At his death, he had served the United States of America faithfully for 60 years," the statement read. US President Donald Trump, who carried out a bitter public feud with Senator McCain during his illness, expressed his sympathy in a tweet following the news of his death. John McCain was born at the Coco Solo Naval Station in Panama on August...

A Parks Department worker in New York City happened upon a grisly scene on a sidewalk outside Crotona Park on Friday when he found two black plastic bags with human body parts inside. The two trash bags were discovered Friday afternoon by the parks employee, who initially thought they might contain a dead dog, according to New York ABC station WABC. The bags were both giving off a strong odor. "My dogs went toward the bags and one of the parks people told me, 'Don't let the dogs go near there because it smells,'" a nearby resident told WABC. "She didn't tell me nothing [about what was inside], she just told me that it smells." When the parks employee called for his boss and they began to open the bag, they saw human hair and immediately called police, WABC reported. A large police presence immediately descended on the scene in the southern part of the park. Police initially said they were unsure of the gender or age of the hu...

A Russian-registered cargo ship carrying weapons and explosives said to be en route to Lagos, Nigeria has been intercepted in South Africa. The vessel, named Lada, which was boarded by the South African Police, according to reports, left Madagascar before stopping at Ngqura port, outside the eastern city of Port Elizabeth, where it was detained after a security check on Sunday. Olwethu Mdabula, spokeswoman for the Transnet state transport company, told AFP: "We are aware that she has dangerous cargo - explosives and weapons - on board." She, however, declined to give further details. Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, spokesman for the Hawks Police Investigative Unit, also confirmed to AFP that the ship contained weapons.

A new French Open policy bans curve-fitting catsuits like the one tennis champion Serena Williams has made infamous during the championship at Roland Garros Stadium. The French Tennis Federation president, Bernard Giudicelli announced the new policy banning the skintight tennis outfit worn by the world’s most dominating female tennis player. Giudicelli, says the three-time winner will no longer be allowed to wear the catsuit because “I think that sometimes we’ve gone too far.” He added: “One must respect the game and the place.” The 36-year-old tennis superstar has said the catsuits made her feel like a superhero, but Giudicelli said the new rules are not negotiable. The rules won’t be as strict as Wimbledon’s, which require that players wear white, but it will “impose certain limits,” he said. Virgil Abloh’s Off-White, in collaboration with Nike, has designed uniforms for Serena, but Giudicelli said the FFT will ask designers and manufacturers for an advance look at th...

Nigerian rapper , Folarin ‘Falz’ Falana, on Thursday hooked up  with American hip-hop mogul, Sean Diddy Combs, in Los Angeles, California. Falz, whose recent single ‘This is Nigeria’ generated positive reaction from many including Diddy shared videos of the meeting on social media. Falz captioned the video he posted on Instagram, “So blessed to tap from @diddy ’s wealth of knowledge!! Vibes on vibes,” The controversial Nigerian rapper also gave Diddy a new name, ‘Oluwadiddy’. “New name alert. Oluwadiddy,” the American hip-hop mogul said in one of the videos. The American superstar had hinted earlier in July that he may visit Nigeria after he met Nigerian superstar Ayobami Balogun a.k.a Wizkid. “I’m coming home! NG.” Diddy posted on his Instagram in July after sharing a video of his meeting with Wizkid.

British singer, Seal, is currently in Nigeria and has visited Afrobeat legend, Femi Kuti, and his family at the New Afrika Shrine in Lagos. Femi Kuti, his son, Made, and his sister, Yeni, shared photos of the visit on Instagram. Femi also revealed that Seal was visiting and is working on a performance in Lagos. Seal, whose real name is Henry Adeola Samuel, was born in London to a Nigerian mum and a Brazilian dad. A Grammy award-winning singer, he has sold over 20 million records worldwide. His first international hit “Crazy” was released in 1991 while his most celebrated song “Kiss from a Rose” dropped in 1994. Welcome to Nigeria, Seal...

The United States Embassy has resumed full consular services in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. In a tweet on Friday, the embassy apologised to Nigerians for the inconvenience the temporary closure had caused. “Full Consular visa and American Citizen Services (ACS) resume in Abuja today. We regret the inconvenience the temporary closure of the Abuja Consular office caused. Good to be back!” it said. The embassy had announced the temporary suspension of its consular services in the nation’s capital on Tuesday last week due to reasons beyond its control. In a statement on Monday, it informed Nigerians that it would reopen its consular section today for full services for both visas and American Citizen Services (ACS). While the consular functions at the U.S. Consulate Lagos were never affected in the first place, the embassy asked visa and ACS applicants with scheduled appointments for August 24 to come to the consulate in Abuja. It added that visa and ACS applican...

Asia Argento pulled out of a Dutch music festival after someone leaked photos and text messages that appear to confirm reports she seduced a teenager. The embattled film director, who became the face of the #MeToo movement after she accused Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment last year, dropped out of curating a Dutch music festival after photos and text messages were leaked to gossip website TMZ. The New York Times reported that the famed director and actress paid actor and musician Jimmy Bennett $380,000 in an out-of-court settlement. Bennett accused the older woman of luring him to a hotel room to have sex in 2013 when he was barely 17. But on Tuesday, Argento denied the allegations in a statement to the Guardian, calling the accusations “absolutely false” and adding, “I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett”. She also said her former boyfriend, CNN chef Anthony Bourdain paid Bennett $380,000, not her. That was before explosive photographs and texts, p...