Happy Christmas people! At least I hope you all had one, no sooner than you get used to luxuries of life, you find yourself like a toad back in the hole, whatever the hell that means… Anyway, in today’s edition, I shall be previewing the UFC’s final offering of 2016: UFC 207: Nunes vs Rousey. While the event has sadly been robbed of the highly anticipated rematch between Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum, there are still 2 title fights to look forward too, as both the women’s and men’s Bantamweight titles are on the line, including a return to competition of one of the sports bonafide superstars in Ronda Rousey. Moreover, the undercard sports 3 excellent match ups in the Welterweight division, while TJ Dillashaw and John Lineker collide in a mesmerising match-up that should determine the next challenger to the coveted 135lbs title.

Here is the official line up for Friday’s pay-per-view extravaganza (Contests marked with an asterisks* shall not be covered):

MAIN CARD:

UFC WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:

AMANDA NUNES (c) vs RONDA ROUSEY

UFC MEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:

DOMINICK CRUZ (c) vs CODY GARBRANDT

UFC MEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT DIVISION: TJ DILLASHAW VS JOHN LINEKER

UFC WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION: DONG HYUN KIM VS TAREC SAFFIEDINE

UFC FLYWEIGHT DIVISION: LOUIS SMOLKA VS RAY BORG*

PRELIMINARY CARD:

UFC WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION: JOHNY HENDRICKS VS NEIL MAGNY

UFC WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION: MIKE PYLE VS ALEX GARCIA

UFC WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION: BRANDON THATCH VS NIKO PRICE

UFC MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION: ANTONIO CARLOS JUNIOR VS MARVIN VETTORI*

UFC WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION: ALEX OLIVEIRA VS TIM MEANS

ALEX OLIVEIRA VS TIM MEANS

The Brazilian ‘Cowboy’ and ‘the Dirty Bird’ provide the ammunition in the curtain raiser of the night, and the 2 fighters ‘balls to wall’ style of fighting, makes this an excellent opening affair. Weight cutting issues ahead of his proposed lightweight clash with Will Brooks, has seen ‘Cowboy’ return to the welterweight division, despite defeating the former Bellator 155lbs champion in a catch-weight affair. Embarking on his 8th fight in less than 2 years on the UFC roster, Oliveira has only lost to Gilbert Burns in his debut, and against Donald Cerrone in ‘Cowboy’s (Cerrone) welterweight debut. In between those setbacks, the American Top Team representative has racked up 2 knock-outs, 2 submission, and 1 decision victory; making him a highly skilled, and dangerous fighter in facets of the game. Despite 10 of 16 career wins coming by way of KO/TKO, in Means, he will be facing a veteran of 34 career outings, 26 of which have resulted in the Oklahoma native ending up with his hand raised, and of his 7 defeats; he has never been stopped with strikes.

Means landed in the UFC as part of the huge roster increase between 2012-2014, debuting as a lightweight, he was successful in his promotional debut; defeating Bernardo Magalhaes by way of a unanimous decision. That would be the first of his 12 outings under the UFC banner, and despite an exceptional return of 8 wins, his 4 defeats to: Jorge Masvidal, Danny Castillo, Neil Magny, and Matt Brown, all indicate that at the higher end of the roster, Means is a cut below the standard bearers of the weight classes (Danny Castillo was of course a lightweight, and the Masvidal fight was fought at 155lbs, despite both men now plying their trade in the Welterweight division now). The suggestion to me then, is that this clash is to determine whether or not Oliveira is going to be a player in the 170lbs division in 2017; used as the foil to usher Cerrone’s transition into the weight class, just 10 months ago, Oliveira has since seen off both: James Moontasri, and Will Brooks since then, and with a win over Means, he would be 3-1 for 2016, just as he was for 2015.

Means is a wild man, as displayed by his willingness to stand and trade with Matt Brown during their wild encounter at UFC 189 in July 2015, not to mention the staggering 18 career wins he owns by TKO/KO stoppage, however Oliveira while isn’t calling himself ‘Cowboy’ just to ride Donald Cerrone’s coattails; his best avenue to victory may in fact be on the canvas, as 3 of ‘the Dirty Bird’s losses have been inflicted by way of a submission; most recently, by Brown himself in their aforementioned showdown 17 months ago. In saying that, 66% of Oliveira’s defeats have been as a result of a submission, so conversely Means may have more success seeing off ‘Cowboy’ by getting the fight to the floor; given the style of both fighters however, I cannot see a wrestling match unfolding, instead expect sparks to fly on the feet in a war of attrition, that Oliveira ultimately gets the better of, as he wins a split decision.

BRANDON THATCH VS NIKO PRICE

Brandon Thatch entered the UFC as one of the most highly touted prospects on the regional circuit; a towering welterweight with a unique look, and a fan friendly style; he arrived in August 2013 at the age of 28 with a strong 9-1 record, comprised entirely of 1st round finishes. He would end the year with 2-0 record in the UFC, disposing of both: Justin Edwards, and Paulo Thiago, each within a round to keep up his amazing string of first round shut outs. Things however could not have gotten any worse for the Denver native; missing all of 2014 with injuries, he returned in February 2015 to welcome Benson Henderson to the Welterweight division, and would fall to the former WEC & UFC Lightweight champion by way of a 4th round rear naked choke. An embarrassing defeat, considering that ‘Smooth’ took the fight on roughly 2 weeks notice, and was significantly undersized, and while the epic triumph of the smaller man was a feel good moment for the neutrals, it was a disaster for Thatch. Fast forward 5 months to UFC 189, and Thatch would know first-hand what one of those 1st round stoppages felt like, as another undersized opponent in Gunnar Nelson was also able to finish Thatch using the ‘RNC’ technique. After a layoff of 8 months, he was paired with another man on a 2 fight skid: Siyar Bahardurzada, and on the same night that Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz would contest their legendary first fight; Thatch was finding himself having to tap out once again, as the Afghani export Bahardurzada extracted a 3rd round submission win by way of arm-triangle choke. In an era of roster cuts, Thatch can consider himself lucky to remain on the roster after his 3 fight skid, such is the testimony to his talent, and potential, and at this point however, he can ill afford anything other than a victory against promotional newcomer: Niko Price.

The 27 year old Price comes into this bout with a perfect 8-0 record, winning his first 7 fights by stoppage; 6 of which coming in the first round. While his route to the UFC mirrors Thatch in many ways; Thatch had already cut his teeth in Strikeforce as early as 2008, and fought the likes of: Chidi Njokuani, and Mike Rhodes before entering the UFC; while Price has only been a professional since 2012. Price is obviously a man of potential, however I think his run comes to an end, in what is essentially, a ‘sink or swim’ fight for Thatch, furthermore, with reports suggesting that is the most dedicated the Elevation Fight Team rep has ever been towards a fight; all roads are suggesting he gets back on the winning straight with another patented first round stoppage.

MIKE PYLE VS ALEX GARCIA

At the grand age of 41, Mike Pyle is embarking on his 41st professional fight, and 3rd outing this year alone. In the twilight of his career surely, ‘Quicksand’ has lost 4 of his last 6 outings dating back to August 2013, when he found himself in the middle of Matt Brown’s surging run. To his credit, his only defeats during his 17 fight spell in the UFC have come to: Brock Larson, Jake Ellenberger, Rory MacDonald, Matt Brown, Jordan Mein, Colby Covington, and most recently Alberto Mina. Prior to the loss to Brown, he had only been stopped with strikes 3 times in 34 fights, 3 of his last 4 losses have since come by way of stoppage to strikes, making for disturbing reading if you are Mike Pyle, or anyone associated with him. That could statistic could easily become 4 at the hands of Garcia, as 5 of his 13 career wins have come by KO or TKO. 12 years Garcia’s elder, Pyle did turn back the hands of time in his superb victory against Sean Spencer on February 6th, however the younger Garcia should be able to exploit the waning chin of Pyle. While ‘Quicksand’s fight IQ, and craftiness will never leave him, his ability to take a shot clearly has; moreover, had this fight been a few a years earlier, I’d have backed Pyle to have upset Garcia, much he like derailed John Hathaway’s momentum back in 2010; however in December 2016, father time will only continue to betray Pyle, and consequently, don’t be surprised to see this one be over and done with, inside of 2 rounds, as the Tri-Star Gym rep: Garcia begins to make up for lost time, having only fought twice since 2014.

JOHNY HENDRICKS VS NEIL MAGNY

Surprisingly, this clash of 2 top 10 Welterweights only makes the undercard; albeit the main event of the FS1 portion of the card. This time 2 years ago, Johny Hendricks was the defending UFC Welterweight Champion, as he and Robbie Lawler main-evented UFC 181 in December 2014. After a split decision verdict went against him, the decline of the man known as ‘Big Rigg’ has been sharp, and unforgiving. While there was of course no shame in being defeated as narrowly as he was against Lawler that night; he has gone on to lose 2 out of his last 3 fights, in spectacular fashion as well, I must add; throw in a botched weight cut that forced him to be scratched the day before his showdown with Tyron Woodley at UFC 192, and the forecast for the former world champion looks bleak to say the least. Interestingly, he was in incredible shape heading into his fight with Matt Brown at UFC 185, and instead of winging his heavy hands; he instead reverted back to his terrific wrestling base, as he controlled Brown in what was a tactical annihilation. When you also add his championship level of experience, and slowly diversifying kickboxing arsenal; the ingredients all seemed in place for another stab at the title he grafted, and campaigned so hard to win. Instead, after surrendering his place at UFC 192 after he suffered health complications as a consequence of his weight cut, he was matched with Stephen Thompson in February, and what ensued, was one of the most one sided, and wince inducing beatings that I have ever seen; mercifully the contest was halted after just 3:31 into the first round, as Hendricks was stopped for the first time in his career. Returning to action at UFC 200 this past July, Hendricks was comprehensively dominated in both the stand up, and wrestling quarters by a man 8 years his junior in Kelvin Gastelum, as he dropped 2 fights in a row for the first time in his career. For the first time in his career, his back is most certainly against the wall, and should he drop a 3rd fight in a row, he risks being relegated to gatekeeper status, and maybe even cut, given the state of the UFC in 2016.

In Neil Magny, Hendricks is not being given any favours; the New Yorker will be embarking on his 15th fight in the UFC, despite being on the roster for less than 4 years. Moreover, Magny has the longest reach in the entire division, with an 80 inch wing span, furthermore, with wins over: Hyun Gyu Lim, Erick Silva, Kelvin Gastelum, and Hector Lombard all coming in the same duration of time since Hendricks defeated Brown; the Ryan Parsons trained protégé must surely be the favourite in this contest. It is hard to believe that Magny kicked off his UFC tenure with 2 defeats, since then only Demian Maia, and Lorenz Larkin have defeated him; both of whom were former middleweights. An excellent grappler who maximises his stellar reach; stocky grapplers in Hendricks mould such as: Gastelum and Lombard have already fallen prey to the rangy Magny, and his superb conditioning ensures that he is always strong down the stretch, and as Hector Lombard found to his horror; more than capable of withstanding an onslaught.

What will determine this fight is how well Hendricks navigates the distance; all of Lombard, Silva, and Gastelum had their moments against Magny, however ‘the Gazelle’ found a way to oust all of those men, and I can’t see Hendricks offering anything that he hasn’t seen before. Much like Lombard, Hendricks is a murderous puncher operating from the southpaw stance, who can also wrestle, while having to contend with conditioning issues, and we saw the outcome in that scenario. Kelvin Gastelum is an exceptional wrestler, who although lacks the knock out power Hendricks possesses, is a much more fundamentally sound boxer; utilising better footwork and crisper technique, and again Magny was victorious against that stylist. If Hendricks was a jujitsu wizard in the mould of Demain Maia, or a striking specialist like Lorenz Larkin; there would be at least be one dimension of the game I could place in ‘Big Rigg’s favour, however he is neither, and after watching him suffer so badly in negating the 75 inches of Stephen Thompson’s reach, I can’t see him doing any better with another 5 that he has to navigate against the 6’3 Magny. The outcome in my opinion is a fairly comfortable unanimous decision win for Neil Magny, as he embarks on more top 10 adversaries in 2017.

DONG HYUN KIM VS TAREC SAFFIEDINE

In the absence of the Cain Velasquez/Fabricio Werdum rematch; this excellent welterweight clash has been given billing on the main card, and rightfully so, given the pedigree of both fighters. Seemingly always on the outside, looking in to the top 5; it is probably now or never, if ‘Stun Gun’ is going to make a stab at the title. At 35, I believe he missed the boat badly in not fighting for 14 months, one can only hope that the time was well spent improving his skills, especially in the stand-up quarters, as Tarec Saffiedine will mercilessly punish the South Korean on the feet. The owner of wins against: Matt Brown, Nate Diaz, Paulo Thiago, Siyar Bahardurzada, Erick Silva, John Hathaway, and Joshua Burkman, these impressive victories make up just a small part of his 21 career wins, however his resume is more conspicuous for its losses sadly, as his blemishes are the responsibility of 3 men: Carlos Condit, Demian Maia, and Tyron Woodley. Granted, Condit is the former interim UFC Welterweight Champion, Woodley is the reigning champion, and Demian Maia is the consensus number 1 contender, however the trend suggests that Kim is a cut below being a world champion. Still, the South Korean has been a member of the UFC’s Welterweight division since 2008, still placing amongst the top 10, he remains a handful for any contender in the weight class. A powerful judoka with a an absolutely smothering top game; we have seen ‘DHK’ have his way with strikers: Matt Brown, TJ Grant, Nate Diaz, Siyar Bahadurzada and Erick Silva, at the same time however, Carlos Condit was able to handily dispatch of him, while Tyron Woodley exploited an ill-advised spinning backfist to separate him from his senses in 2014; leading me to conclude that Kim’s discipline and game planning, is going to be central to his chances of winning this fight.

Much like Brandon Thatch, Tarec Saffiedine has been one of the most disappointing exports to the company, arguably the most disappointing of all the fighters absorbed from Strikeforce back in 2013. Arriving in the UFC as the Strikeforce Welterweight Champion, following a breakout performance in dethroning Nate Marquardt in January 2013. Injuries have curtailed his progress since joining the UFC, and a less than spectacular 2-2 record since his promotional debut in January 2014 has left him in limbo. An exceptionally talented striker, the Belgian is a joy to behold on the feet, should anyone need any reminding of his skills, I advise you to revisit his brutalising defeats of Nate Marquardt, and Hyun Gyu Lim. Stylistically, he has never been knockout artist, moreso, a supreme technician, and while Dong Hyun Kim is no Rory MacDonald on the feet; his awkward range, and judo heavy style, does not make the ideal foil for an stylist like ‘the Sponge’. In Saffiedine’s defence, 2 of his last 3 defeats have come to: Tyron Woodley, and Rick Story; both stocky, and explosive wrestlers, as opposed to the more methodical style posed by the towering Kim.

As I prefaced earlier, Kim controls who wins or loses this contest; if he wants to be trigger happy, he significantly compromises his chances of winning, and instead throws himself into Saffiedine’s domain. Should Kim close the distance and punish the Belgian in the clinch, and assert his dominance from the top position, or at least keep Saffiedine on the back foot, and his back against the cage; Kim rides out a comfortable decision. It is my opinion therefore, that Dong Hyun Kim will defeat Tarec Saffiedine by the means I have outlined above; I can only hope thereafter, becomes a regular fixture in 2017, Saffiedine meanwhile will have to revert back to drawing board as he faces a cross roads in his career in 2017.

TJ DILLASHAW VS JOHN LINEKER

Before our double main event kicks off, a superb title eliminator greets us as the former Bantamweight Champion: TJ Dillashaw meets the knockout machine: John Lineker. Arguably 2014’s breakout star in the UFC: Dillashaw meets a man with dynamite in his hands in the Brazilian, Lineker. Much has been made of Dillashaw’s progress as a mixed martial artist since he linked up with Duane Ludwig, and his increased learning under ‘Bang’ will be on show for all to see on Friday evening. Easily the closest any fighter has come to defeating Dominick Cruz since Cruz lost to Urijah Faber back in 2007, Dillashaw was mightily unlucky to walk away on the wrong side of a split decision against ‘the Dominator’. In his return from his title loss at UFC 200, he overcame the spectre of his loss Raphael Assuncao back in 2013; looking spectacular in the process as he claimed a unanimous decision victory.

Named after the former England striker, and current Match of the Day presenter: Gary Lineker; the Brazilian is a murderer with his fists. Having always been plagued with issues cutting weight as a flyweight; a 2015 move to the Bantamweight division has been a master stroke, reeling off 4 wins in a row, bringing his win streak to 6 on the bounce ahead of this showdown. MMA math is of course nothing to go by, it is an interesting observation however, that John Dodson who Lineker defeated in his last outing, owns a 2011 victory over TJ Dillashaw, albeit a far less refined version of the TJ we see today. What the significance of the Dodson victory is however, is that Lineker should be comfortable with an athletic, and speedy foe who prides themselves on movement and energy.

Of course Dodson relies far more on bullying his opponents, and springing like a jack in the box with full power shots, while TJ is more methodical, piecing together combinations that utilise both feet, and both fists, transitioning stance mid combo, all while employing mesmerising footwork. It is my opinion then, that this is TJ’s fight to lose; often neglected, however he has already seen off a short and stocky, murderous puncher in Mike Easton back in 2014, in addition, having fought 9 rounds against Renan Barao, and then going the distance with the champion earlier this year, I don’t see Lineker offering anything that he hasn’t seen before. In addition, his movement is at such a level that I can’t envision a linear fighter like Lineker being able to catch him in a predicament where one of those wading hooks will catch him. Lineker’s chin will probably save him from being finished, however expect TJ to take home a unanimous decision, as he positions himself for an early 2017 clash with the winner of the Bantamweight title fight.

UFC MEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:

DOMINICK CRUZ (c) vs CODY GARBRANDT

After being robbed of 5 years of his career (withstanding the September 2014 trouncing of Takeya Mizugaki), it is refreshing to see the UFC Bantamweight champion: Dominick Cruz prepare for his 3rd fight this year. In Cody Garbrandt, he meets a murderous puncher, and a hungry young challenger in Cody ‘No Love’ Garbrandt, a Team Alpha stand-out who represents arguably the most dangerous test of Cruz’s reign. A pound for pound list occupant since 2010, Cruz is a majestic and cerebral fighter, always employing bewildering footwork, and a litany of combinations; Cruz remains a puzzle yet to be solved, especially by the the Team Alpha camp, who have already seen their representative fighters go 24 rounds in active competition against the Alliance MMA trained fighter. Not missing a beat, Cruz returned in January to dethrone TJ Dillashaw, before totally outclassing an over-matched Urijah Faber at UFC 199 this past June, to complete their trilogy; setting up this most engrossing match-up.

What do Cody Garbrandt, and Conor McGregor have in common? They both fought, and TKO’d Marcus Brimage in their debut fights in the UFC. In less than 2 years, the man called ‘No Love’ has booked himself a title shot; whether or not that is down to the man himself, or the lack of depth at 135 lbs you can decide; what cannot be argued however is the danger presented to Cruz’ title run by the 25 year old challenger from Ohio. Only Henry Briones has ever gone the distance with Garbrandt in his career, that was back at UFC 189 in July of 2015, 3 first round KO’s in 2016 later, and here he is, just 2 nights away from succeeding where: Urijah Faber, Joseph Benavides, and TJ Dillashaw failed, and that is dethrone Dominick Cruz. What he possesses, that neither of those fine competitors do, is skull crushing, one punch, knockout power, and a genuine, and a legitimate mean streak, to back up the tremendous athleticism, and fine wrestling pedigree; that comes as standard with any Team Alpha Male student.

While his 10-0 resume makes for fine reading on paper, on a closer inspection, we can see that only 3 of his opponents have Wikipedia pages! Moreover, with the greatest of respect to Takeya Mizugaki, he has lost 4 of his last 5 fights (3 of his last 4 after losing to Garbrandt), while his excellent stoppage of fellow prospect: Thomas Almeida, was the result of the Brazilian obliging him in a slugfest. The battle tested veteran Cruz is hardly going to engage Garbrandt in that type of fight, and judging by the pre-fight shenanigans instigated by Cruz, and the degree to which the challenger has taken it on a personal level; the raging bull is there to be tamed by the master manipulator Cruz. Another question mark is going to be Garbrandt’s conditioning across a 5 round stretch, however his camp will ensure that is best prepared to go for the entire 25 minutes if necessary. At just 25, a loss for ‘No Love’ does his career no harm whatsoever, he has an excellent look, and provided he isn’t totally bamboozled, and outclassed by Cruz; he will only come out with his legitimacy as top contender certified, and realistically would only be 2 or 3 wins away from another title shot, so with all that has been said, and done so far; I am backing Dominick Cruz to complete a perfect 2016, as takes a minimum of 4 rounds on the judges scorecards, in what will be another unanimous decision win added to his resume.

UFC WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP:

AMANDA NUNES (c) vs RONDA ROUSEY

So here we go, it’s main event time! In the most bizarre of title fight build up’s; you would be forgiven for thinking that Ronda Rousey is fighting herself as she makes her long awaited return to competition, to try and regain the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Title that she lost to Holly Holm back in November of 2015. Standing in front of her is the Brazilian: Amanda Nunes, who dethroned Miesha Tate in the main event of UFC 200, this past July, in absolutely devastating fashion; needing just 3 minutes and 16 seconds of the very first round to submit the former champion. Excluding a September 2014 loss to Cat Zingano; Nunes is an excellent 6-1 since joining the UFC ranks in 2013, and having defeated strikers: Germaine de Randamie, and Valentina Shevchenko, as well grapplers such as: Sara McMann, and Tate; ‘the Lioness’ has proven her worth against women of all styles, en route to claiming the UFC Women’s Bantamweight title. It is travesty that more hasn’t been made of the Brazilian’s exploits by the UFC hype machine, however in her second main event of 2016, she has a chance to give her highlight reel the ultimate prize in the same arena she won the title in, and that is the scalp of Rousey.

The major storyline going into the battle has of course been the return of Rousey, and what her state of mind is in, here in December 2016. While her time is spent more often than not, on a movie set rather than the gymnasium these days; the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in Judo is a competitor at heart, coupled with her mean streak; a focussed, hungry, and well trained Rousey is still the same woman we saw reek havoc across the 135lbs division between 2011-2015, before her loss to Holly Holm. If the photos that have surfaced are anything to go by, she is in the best shape that I have ever seen her in, what will be central to ‘Rowdy’s chances of reclaiming the title is however, her motivation and desire to be competing as an active fighter. Ronda Rousey does not need to compete as a mixed martial artist here in 2016; her fame has surpassed the sport, and of course, so has the monetary incentive to fight, and if it is plea for ‘love’ so to speak, the MMA community has not responded with open arms, given her need to be consoled after her appearance at UFC 205 presser, and her subsequent shunning of the media ahead of this clash.

Once the toast of the MMA world, now seen as an celebrity who occasionally partakes in the sport; it will be interesting to see what reception she receives at the weigh-ins and at the fight itself. Make no mistake, Amanda Nunes focus is strictly on business come January 30th, can the same be said of the challenger? Only she knows, after seeing the 2 fighters square off at the aforementioned UFC 205 presser, there was something which told me that Amanda Nunes is going to emphatically dispatch of Rousey. I feel the same sense of the end that I did when Brock Lesnar prepared for his battle with Alistair Overeem, which ironically took place on Friday December 30th 2011; 5 years to the exact day of this showdown between Nunes and Rousey. An emotional fighter by trade, expect Rousey to come out of the blocks all guns blazing, however American Top Team will have their champion suitably prepared for the bull-rush-into the-tie up that Rousey classically employs; and I think once Nunes lands with the first shot, Rousey will feel the full extent of ‘the Lioness’s power, and will be put away within the first round, in what will most likely be her last fight as a mixed martial artist.

Read it and weep it!

There we go people, that is my UFC 207 preview in the bag; agree? Disagree? Let me know via twitter @aragami9x or leave a comment below. OWA 83 will be published tomorrow, as the Boxing Day round of games are rounded up here in England. As always this publication is brought to you by Forever Football Shirts: www.foreverfootballshirts.co.uk expect some new additions to presented next week, as we aim to go to the next level in 2017. Also, stay tuned for the audio companion of this blog which shall be coming soon, following the turn of the new year! Until the next episode however…

Goodnight and God bless,

Steven,

OSSSUUUU!!!