Josh Barnett, the former UFC heavyweight champion whose repeated failed steroid tests nearly derailed his career, finally returned to the cage in Dallas on Saturday night, making short work of Brett Rogers and advancing to the second round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
It was an impressive showing for Barnett, who showed why his version of catch wrestling is, when used effectively, one of the best fighting styles in the world. Barnett dominated Rogers on the ground and got him to tap to an arm triangle choke in the second round.
Rogers got things started with a leg kick, and Barnett immediately shot inside for a takedown. Showing impressive strength, Barnett picked Rogers up and slammed him to the ground, ending up in side control and eventually transitioning to full mount. Rogers looked like a fish out of water on the ground, and Barnett looked like he was right inside his own comfort zone. Rogers survived the round without taking too much punishment, and by the end of the round the fans were booing Barnett for failing to do much damage, but it was definitely Barnett’s round.
At the start of the second Barnett landed one punch, grabbed hold of Rogers and threw him right back onto the ground again, with Barnett landing in full mount. Once Barnett sunk in the choke, Rogers tapped quickly, clearly not knowing how to get out of it. Rogers has talent and hits hard, but he needs to start training with partners who can teach him how to fight on the ground.
Now Barnett is scheduled to take on Sergei Kharitonov in the second round of the heavyweight tournament. Based on Saturday night’s performance, Barnett has to be considered the favorite in that fight. The victory was the 30th in Barnett’s MMA career, and one that showed he still has some fight left in him.
Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Josh Barnett, the former UFC heavyweight champion whose repeated failed steroid tests nearly derailed his career, finally returned to the cage in Dallas on Saturday night, making short work of Brett Rogers and advancing to the second round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
It was an impressive showing for Barnett, who showed why his version of catch wrestling is, when used effectively, one of the best fighting styles in the world. Barnett dominated Rogers on the ground and got him to tap to an arm triangle choke in the second round.
Rogers got things started with a leg kick, and Barnett immediately shot inside for a takedown. Showing impressive strength, Barnett picked Rogers up and slammed him to the ground, ending up in side control and eventually transitioning to full mount. Rogers looked like a fish out of water on the ground, and Barnett looked like he was right inside his own comfort zone. Rogers survived the round without taking too much punishment, and by the end of the round the fans were booing Barnett for failing to do much damage, but it was definitely Barnett’s round.
At the start of the second Barnett landed one punch, grabbed hold of Rogers and threw him right back onto the ground again, with Barnett landing in full mount. Once Barnett sunk in the choke, Rogers tapped quickly, clearly not knowing how to get out of it. Rogers has talent and hits hard, but he needs to start training with partners who can teach him how to fight on the ground.
Now Barnett is scheduled to take on Sergei Kharitonov in the second round of the heavyweight tournament. Based on Saturday night’s performance, Barnett has to be considered the favorite in that fight. The victory was the 30th in Barnett’s MMA career, and one that showed he still has some fight left in him.
Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Barnett (29-5) is fighting on American soil for the first time in over two years. Last year Barnett defeated Mighty Mo at Dream.13 and Geronimo dos Santos at Impact FC 1. Rogers lost his last two Strikeforce fights and last October took a win over Ruben Villareal at a W-1 event in Canada. In this tournament bout, the winner will advance to meet Sergei Kharitonov in the semifinals at a later date.
Round 1: Rogers tosses out the jab to try and keep Barnett at a distance, but Barnett wastes no time shooting in low and picking that foot. Barnett presses Rogers against the fence and scoops him up high for a big slam. That’s a lot of weight coming down on this mat. Barnett gets side control and looks to isolate and arm, but Rogers nearly scrambles out and forces Barnett to start again. Barnett stays on top and works into the full mount. Rogers has his arms locked around Barnett’s waist, but that’s not going to help much. Barnett works a few short punches and elbows from the top, but he’s clearly submission-minded. Barnett gets too high in the mount and allows Rogers to buck him and slip out the back door. That escape is short-lived, however, as Barnett quickly regains the mount with less than a minute left. Barnett tries for an Americana, but settles for a few more punches before the horn as the fans voice their displeasure.MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Barnett.
Round 2:
Rogers is right back to trying to work that jab from a distance, but it’s completely ineffective at keeping Barnett at bay. He leaps in with a left hook that lands, then ties up and throws Rogers, essentially landing back in mount. The crowd is already antsy, but Barnett gets their attention by locking up an arm triangle choke from the top. He doesn’t even need to jump over to the side to finish it. He just squeezes and Rogers taps. Dominant, precise performance from Barnett.
Josh Barnett def. Brett Rogers via submission (arm triangle) at 1:17 of round two
Barnett seizes the microphone from Gus Johnson in the post-fight interview and delivers a monologue about stacking skulls and standing atop a pile of bodies. Easy night of work for Gus.
Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Barnett (29-5) is fighting on American soil for the first time in over two years. Last year Barnett defeated Mighty Mo at Dream.13 and Geronimo dos Santos at Impact FC 1. Rogers lost his last two Strikeforce fights and last October took a win over Ruben Villareal at a W-1 event in Canada. In this tournament bout, the winner will advance to meet Sergei Kharitonov in the semifinals at a later date.
Round 1: Rogers tosses out the jab to try and keep Barnett at a distance, but Barnett wastes no time shooting in low and picking that foot. Barnett presses Rogers against the fence and scoops him up high for a big slam. That’s a lot of weight coming down on this mat. Barnett gets side control and looks to isolate and arm, but Rogers nearly scrambles out and forces Barnett to start again. Barnett stays on top and works into the full mount. Rogers has his arms locked around Barnett’s waist, but that’s not going to help much. Barnett works a few short punches and elbows from the top, but he’s clearly submission-minded. Barnett gets too high in the mount and allows Rogers to buck him and slip out the back door. That escape is short-lived, however, as Barnett quickly regains the mount with less than a minute left. Barnett tries for an Americana, but settles for a few more punches before the horn as the fans voice their displeasure.MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Barnett.
Round 2:
Rogers is right back to trying to work that jab from a distance, but it’s completely ineffective at keeping Barnett at bay. He leaps in with a left hook that lands, then ties up and throws Rogers, essentially landing back in mount. The crowd is already antsy, but Barnett gets their attention by locking up an arm triangle choke from the top. He doesn’t even need to jump over to the side to finish it. He just squeezes and Rogers taps. Dominant, precise performance from Barnett.
Josh Barnett def. Brett Rogers via submission (arm triangle) at 1:17 of round two
Barnett seizes the microphone from Gus Johnson in the post-fight interview and delivers a monologue about stacking skulls and standing atop a pile of bodies. Easy night of work for Gus.
Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Jorge Masvidal earned one of the biggest wins of his mixed martial arts career on Saturday, dominating KJ Noons for three rounds and winning a one-sided unanimous decision.
It was a big-time showing for Masvidal, who won 30-27 on all three judges’ cards.
“KJ was more aggressive — he made more openings happen,” Masvidal said afterward. “He’s a good striker but I’m a bad style for him. I’m a good counter-fighter and I feel just fine striking with him.”
The first round included plenty of effective strikes from both men, but Masvidal was more effective,first opening up a big cut on Noons’ forehead and then knocking Noons down with a big right head kick and pummeling him on the ground in the final minute of the round. Masvidal clearly won the round, and it could have been scored 10-8 in his favor.
After two minutes of brawling at the start of the second round, Masvidal took Noons down and pounded on him on the ground. When they got back to their feet Masvidal continued to get the better of the exchanges, and although Noons stayed active, he wasn’t able to hang with Masvidal.
By the third it was clear that there was nothing Noons could do, and Masvidal just had his way with his lesser opponent. Noons deserves credit for continuing to fight for the end, but this one was all Masvidal.
Masvidal’s record improves to 22-6, and he might get a shot at Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez next.
Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Jorge Masvidal earned one of the biggest wins of his mixed martial arts career on Saturday, dominating KJ Noons for three rounds and winning a one-sided unanimous decision.
It was a big-time showing for Masvidal, who won 30-27 on all three judges’ cards.
“KJ was more aggressive — he made more openings happen,” Masvidal said afterward. “He’s a good striker but I’m a bad style for him. I’m a good counter-fighter and I feel just fine striking with him.”
The first round included plenty of effective strikes from both men, but Masvidal was more effective,first opening up a big cut on Noons’ forehead and then knocking Noons down with a big right head kick and pummeling him on the ground in the final minute of the round. Masvidal clearly won the round, and it could have been scored 10-8 in his favor.
After two minutes of brawling at the start of the second round, Masvidal took Noons down and pounded on him on the ground. When they got back to their feet Masvidal continued to get the better of the exchanges, and although Noons stayed active, he wasn’t able to hang with Masvidal.
By the third it was clear that there was nothing Noons could do, and Masvidal just had his way with his lesser opponent. Noons deserves credit for continuing to fight for the end, but this one was all Masvidal.
Masvidal’s record improves to 22-6, and he might get a shot at Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez next.
Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
DALLAS — This is the Strikeforce live blog for K.J. Noons vs. Jorge Masvidal, a lightweight bout on tonight’s Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum card at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Noons (10-3) lost last October in a Strikeforce welterweight title bout against Nick Diaz. Masvidal (21-6) in March defeated Billy Evangelista via unanimous decision. The winner here will likely face Gilbert Melendez for the title.
Round 1: Noons comes charging across the cage and Masvidal checks his progress with a leg kick. Big overhand right from Masvidal, followed by a glancing knee to the head. Noons stays on him, backing him up against the cage, but unable to pin him down. Masvidal is doing a good job of predicting where Noons’ head is going to be and meeting it with a punch. Noons ducks under a punch and eats a knee from Masvidal. Masvidal drops down for a takedown and gets it. Noons works for a kimura up against the fence, but eventually has to give up on it so he can work to his feet. Another knee to the head from Masvidal and Noons is bleeding from his forehead. The cut is causing a mess around his eyes. Masvidal drops Noons with a kick as he goes to slip a punch. Masvidal jumps on the stunned Noons and hammers him with right hands. Noons turtles up and avoids the choke, but barely survives the round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-8 Masvidal.
Round 2:
Masvidal slips out of the way of a Noons punch and lands a nice left. Noons, to his credit, is still coming forward with punches and elbows. Masvidal gets a takedown, despite Noons’ attempt to hold the fence, but can’t keep him down. Noons’ forehead is swollen badly now right over his eye. Another takedown for Masvidal and some nice elbows on the ground. Noons gets his back on the fence and works back to his feet. He’s still agressive, even though he’s starting to look a little Quasimodo-ish. Masvidal goes for another takedown and Noons gets warned a few more times to grabbing the fence. Noons turns the tables and gets Masvidal down on his back for some punishment, but Masvidal gets back up and lands a good knee before the round ends. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Masvidal.
Round 3:
Noons is stalking Masvidal to start the third, and Masvidal keeps slipping away from him. Noons’ face is lathered in blood now, and his forehead has a lump the size of a baseball on it. Masvidal shoots for a takedown and Noons gets another warning about grabbing the fence, but this time I actually don’t think he did it. Spinning back kick from from Masvidal, but he seems like he’s less aggressive than Noons now, though still roughly as effective. Takedown for Masvidal, but Noons is back up quickly. Masvidal puts him down again and ties up an arm, but can’t let loose with anything significant. Masvidal keeps Noons firmly on the mat, and he seems content with riding this one out to a decision. Noons is bloodied and battered when the horn sounds. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Masvidal.
Jorge Masvidal def. K.J. Noons via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
DALLAS — This is the Strikeforce live blog for K.J. Noons vs. Jorge Masvidal, a lightweight bout on tonight’s Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum card at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Noons (10-3) lost last October in a Strikeforce welterweight title bout against Nick Diaz. Masvidal (21-6) in March defeated Billy Evangelista via unanimous decision. The winner here will likely face Gilbert Melendez for the title.
Round 1: Noons comes charging across the cage and Masvidal checks his progress with a leg kick. Big overhand right from Masvidal, followed by a glancing knee to the head. Noons stays on him, backing him up against the cage, but unable to pin him down. Masvidal is doing a good job of predicting where Noons’ head is going to be and meeting it with a punch. Noons ducks under a punch and eats a knee from Masvidal. Masvidal drops down for a takedown and gets it. Noons works for a kimura up against the fence, but eventually has to give up on it so he can work to his feet. Another knee to the head from Masvidal and Noons is bleeding from his forehead. The cut is causing a mess around his eyes. Masvidal drops Noons with a kick as he goes to slip a punch. Masvidal jumps on the stunned Noons and hammers him with right hands. Noons turtles up and avoids the choke, but barely survives the round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-8 Masvidal.
Round 2:
Masvidal slips out of the way of a Noons punch and lands a nice left. Noons, to his credit, is still coming forward with punches and elbows. Masvidal gets a takedown, despite Noons’ attempt to hold the fence, but can’t keep him down. Noons’ forehead is swollen badly now right over his eye. Another takedown for Masvidal and some nice elbows on the ground. Noons gets his back on the fence and works back to his feet. He’s still agressive, even though he’s starting to look a little Quasimodo-ish. Masvidal goes for another takedown and Noons gets warned a few more times to grabbing the fence. Noons turns the tables and gets Masvidal down on his back for some punishment, but Masvidal gets back up and lands a good knee before the round ends. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 Masvidal.
Round 3:
Noons is stalking Masvidal to start the third, and Masvidal keeps slipping away from him. Noons’ face is lathered in blood now, and his forehead has a lump the size of a baseball on it. Masvidal shoots for a takedown and Noons gets another warning about grabbing the fence, but this time I actually don’t think he did it. Spinning back kick from from Masvidal, but he seems like he’s less aggressive than Noons now, though still roughly as effective. Takedown for Masvidal, but Noons is back up quickly. Masvidal puts him down again and ties up an arm, but can’t let loose with anything significant. Masvidal keeps Noons firmly on the mat, and he seems content with riding this one out to a decision. Noons is bloodied and battered when the horn sounds. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Masvidal.
Jorge Masvidal def. K.J. Noons via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Junior dos Santos tries to finish Shane Carwin late in the first at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Junior dos Santos lands a left hand against Shane Carwin at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Shane Carwin makes a last ditch effort late in the third round at UFC 131 on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
DALLAS — This is the Strikeforce undercard live blog for all five of tonight’s Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum preliminary bouts at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Round 1: The first two fighters on the night touch them up. Vallie-Flag tries some kicks to the legs and body, and Melancon responds by unloading with some big hooks. Vallie-Flag seems to be reeling a bit, and the hooks keep coming. Melancon flips him to the mat and locks up a crucifix position in side control, working short punches to Vallie-Flag’s face.Vallie-Flag turtles up and Melancon nails him with hammer fists before slipping his hooks in and looking for a rear naked choke. It isn’t there, so he takes mount. Vallie-Flag stays calm, recovers position and works to his feet. Both men looking tired now. Big uppercut from Melancon is answered by a stiff jab from Vallie-Flag They punch their way into the clinch for a little breather, then end the round with each man landing a couple nice blows. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Melancon.
DALLAS — This is the Strikeforce undercard live blog for all five of tonight’s Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum preliminary bouts at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Round 1: The first two fighters on the night touch them up. Vallie-Flag tries some kicks to the legs and body, and Melancon responds by unloading with some big hooks. Vallie-Flag seems to be reeling a bit, and the hooks keep coming. Melancon flips him to the mat and locks up a crucifix position in side control, working short punches to Vallie-Flag’s face.Vallie-Flag turtles up and Melancon nails him with hammer fists before slipping his hooks in and looking for a rear naked choke. It isn’t there, so he takes mount. Vallie-Flag stays calm, recovers position and works to his feet. Both men looking tired now. Big uppercut from Melancon is answered by a stiff jab from Vallie-Flag They punch their way into the clinch for a little breather, then end the round with each man landing a couple nice blows. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Melancon.
Filed under: StrikeforceRemember that whole Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix thing? It didn’t disappear — turns out it was just hibernating. The big men return to action tonight in Dallas, so it’s time to sort through all the major storylines and bu…
Remember that whole Strikeforce heavyweight Grand Prix thing? It didn’t disappear — turns out it was just hibernating. The big men return to action tonight in Dallas, so it’s time to sort through all the major storylines and burning questions.
I. November 16, 2007. That’s the last time Alistair Overeem went more than one round in an MMA fight. True, he has gone longer in K-1 bouts recently, but that’s a different type of fighting and a different type of cardio. Werdum thinks the extra “40 pounds of whoop-ass” that Overeem is so proud of may tire him out late in the fight, but the truth is that we just don’t know how the present day Overeem will look in the third round. We may not get to find out tonight, either.
II. For pure entertainment value, this card has as much or more to offer than the last couple UFC pay-per-views. Even better, it’s free with a Showtime subscription, and the prelims are on HDNet, so if you paid for the top of the line cable package you now get great fights and the same four Tom Cruise movies on an endless loop. Talk about a deal. On paper, at least, I can’t recall a better night of fights in recent memory that didn’t cost 50 bucks upfront. Now if only Showtime would get it through their heads that Pat Miletich ought to be a staple at the broadcast table, they’d really be in business with this MMA stuff.
III. Josh Barnett continues the grand tradition of the very good heavyweight with a very poor physique. Seeing him on the scales on Friday reminded me of one sportswriter’s description of baseball player Kirby Puckett as a man with the body of “a poorly packed duffel bag.” Let’s face it, Barnett will never be the ripped action-hero type, which might make him a tough sell to casual fans tuning into Showtime to see these supposedly great heavyweights. That’s fine. Barnett doesn’t have to be a fitness model. He just has to win the fights and prove that his lack of quality competition in recent years doesn’t mean he can’t still hang with the Overeem’s of the heavyweight division, even if he’ll never look like them.
IV. K.J. Noons insists he isn’t looking past Jorge Masvidal. At the same time he does seem to think he’s already worthy of a Strikeforce lightweight title shot, and is just waiting until Strikeforce realizes it too. An impressive win over Masvidal will help with that campaign, but only if Noons doesn’t get so caught up trying to be impressive that he forgets to be smart.
V. This week’s open media workouts were almost like a personality test for each fighter. Barnett did his pro wrestling schtick. Werdum joked and played around with flying armbars and fancy sweeps that he almost certainly does not plan on using on Saturday night. Overeem did his workout primarily in private, essentially defeating the purpose of the open workout altogether. Rogers took it all very seriously, hitting mitts like he was trying to break his coach’s hands. So what did we learn? That these are four very different men, with very different approaches to their craft. But we probably knew that already.
VI. If Daniel Cormier beats Jeff Monson — and he probably will — the grooming period is officially over. Cormier is 32 years old and he has two years of MMA experience under his belt. A win over a veteran like “The Snowman,” and he won’t be able to take the slow, gradual approach to moving up the ladder anymore. Unless he loses or looks terrible on Saturday night, things are about to go into hyper-drive for Cormier.
VII. The most unpredictable and interesting fight on the main card might also be the least meaningful. I refer now, of course, to the Chad Griggs–Valentijn Overeem bout. It’s not that the fight is insignificant, but as a reserve bout in a tournament that goes months between events anyway, the winner probably won’t ever see his name in the official bracket. Is that so bad? Not necessarily. Overeem is a journeyman, and Griggs ought to be a light heavyweight, so a chance to show off some skills and get a paycheck out of it is nothing to complain about. Still, I have no idea how this one is going to go, which is part of what makes it so fun.
VIII. Werdum cited his win over Fedor Emelianenko last time this year as proof that June is his month. He’s fought three times in June so far in his career (the fight with Overeem will be the fourth), and he’s never lost yet. He just has to hope his next fight doesn’t go down in October — a month where he’s 0-2.
Josh Barnett, the former UFC heavyweight champion whose repeated failed steroid tests nearly derailed his career, finally returned to the cage in Dallas on Saturday night, making short work of Brett Rogers and advancing to the second round of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix.
DALLAS — This is the 
Jorge Masvidal
DALLAS — This is the Strikeforce live blog for K.J. Noons vs. Jorge Masvidal, a lightweight bout on tonight’s Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum card at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
DALLAS — This is the 
Remember that whole 
