Know your artist: John Cena, Pom Klementieff, Mackenyu and Amr Diab — 5 artists coming to the UAE
MEFCC brings John Cena, Pom Klementieff and Mackenyu to Abu Dhabi from September 11
Dubai: A weekly look at the artists, comedians and performers heading to UAE stages. Who they are, what made them, and why it is worth booking before someone tells you afterwards that you missed it.
This week the list spans a wrestling icon turned Hollywood actor, a Marvel actress, a One Piece star, one of Arabic pop's most beloved voices and a comic con first-timer straight out of the Star Wars universe.
1. John Cena — MEFCC, Abu Dhabi
When: 11 to 13 September, ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi Tickets: From Dh160 at mefcc.com
If you know John Cena from the memes ('You can't see him'), you know his face better than most people who have actually watched him wrestle.
He spent the better part of two decades as the face of WWE, a multiple-time world champion and one of professional wrestling's most recognisable figures before retiring from in-ring competition in 2025. The transition to Hollywood was gradual and then suddenly very successful. The Suicide Squad, F9: The Fast Saga, Fast X, Bumblebee and the Peacemaker series gave him a second career that has outlasted his first.
He is also, quietly, one of the most prolific Make-A-Wish volunteers in history, having granted more than 650 wishes. That detail tends to soften whatever opinion people walked in with.
MEFCC is his first UAE appearance, and for a figure this size, the photo opportunity and autograph session format of a comic con is actually a closer interaction than any arena concert offers.
2. Pom Klementieff — MEFCC, Abu Dhabi
When: 11 to 13 September, ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi Tickets: From Dh160 at mefcc.com
Most people know her as Mantis, the empath with the antennae who first appeared in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and has since shown up in Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. She is set to return as Mantis in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, which makes this a timely appearance.
What is less well known is that her career predates the MCU by several years and runs considerably deeper. She appeared in Park Chan-wook's Oldboy, the Mission: Impossible franchise and a Black Mirror episode, and trained at the Cours Florent drama school in Paris.
For Marvel fans specifically, she is one of the Guardians cast members who turns up at these events with genuine warmth and a reputation for memorable fan interactions.
3. Mackenyu — MEFCC, Abu Dhabi
When: 11 to 13 September, ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi Tickets: From Dh160 at mefcc.com
If you have watched Netflix's live-action One Piece, you already know Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, the three-sword-style swordsman who manages to be simultaneously stoic, chaotic and extremely loyal to a crew he pretends not to care about. The casting was among the most scrutinised of the adaptation, and the reception was largely that he nailed it.
He is the son of Japanese martial arts action star Sonny Chiba, which partly explains the physicality he brings to the role. His other credits include Knights of the Zodiac, Rurouni Kenshin: Final Chapter and Fullmetal Alchemist: The Revenge of Scar. He is one of the more in-demand names in Japanese live-action adaptations of anime properties right now, and the Zoro casting gave him a genuinely global audience.
One Piece has one of the most passionate fanbases in anime. You may expect long queues.
4. Tamer Hosny — Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: 17 October, with Tamer Ashour Tickets: From Dh137 at platinumlist.net
Tamer Hosny is one of those Arabic pop artists whose name recognition runs so deep across the region that his concerts function less like live music events and more like collective memory exercises. He started in Egyptian pop in the early 2000s and built a following that spans multiple generations of Arabic music listeners, known for romantic ballads that are equal parts radio-friendly and emotionally direct.
Beyond music, he has a film career in Egypt and a social media presence that keeps him visible year-round. Sharing a stage with Tamer Ashour, who operates in a similar emotional register with a devoted following of his own, makes this a night built around sing-alongs and a room full of people who know every word.
If you have never been to an Arabic pop concert, this is a reasonable entry point. The connection between these artists and their audiences is something that does not fully translate in a write-up.
5. Amr Diab — Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai
When: 7 November Tickets: From Dh345 at platinumlist.net
Known as the 'King of Arabic Pop' and 'Father of Mediterranean Music', Amr Diab is the most awarded artist in the history of the World Music Awards, and across the Arab world he occupies a position that has no clean equivalent in Western pop. He has been releasing music since 1983 and has not stopped being relevant at any point in between.
Nour El Ain, Habibi, Tamally Maak, El Alem Bellah and Wayah are the songs that will bring a Coca-Cola Arena to something close to a standstill. He will also be performing fan favourites including Khatafouni, Baba, and Shayef Amar, along with his iconic classics such as Ya Ana Ya La, Amarain, Leily Nahary, Enta El Hazz, and Nour El Ein.
