MMA news

• Rafael dos Anjos vs. Colby Covington for interim welterweight title set for UFC 224

  03-04-2018 23:20
  Colby Covington is headed back to Brazil. And this time he’s fighting for a belt.
  Rafael dos Anjos vs. Covington for the interim welterweight title is set for UFC 224 on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, MMA Fighting confirmed.
  BJPenn.com first reported the fight was in the works two weeks ago.
  The controversial Covington, who drew the ire of Brazilian fans after he referred to them as “filthy animals” following his win over Demian Maia in October, told MMAFighting.com that he
  
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• Tony Ferguson fires back at McGregor, Diaz for injury Twitter shots

  03-04-2018 23:00
  Tony Ferguson may be having a rough week, but he isn’t about to hear it from two rivals who haven’t fought in a combined 1,098 days.
  Ferguson, in his own unique way, fired back at both Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz on social media Tuesday, responding to the twosome’s jabs at Ferguson’s injury withdrawal from UFC 223 by criticizing either man’s inactivity and telling both to “Stay In Your Lane.”
  Ferguson first took aim at McGregor, who had subtweeted &ldq
  
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• Eddie Alvarez: We’re Not Going to See the Real Max Holloway at UFC 223

  03-04-2018 22:59 via sherdog.com
  Eddie Alvarez was one of a few fighters who was offered a short-notice bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, but the former lightweight champion was in no way prepared to take the fight.
  
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• Michael Chandler Believes he Won’t Ever Get Brent Primus Rematch

  03-04-2018 22:52
  Longtime Bellator fighter Michael Chandler, who has been on fire as of late, met his toughest competition to date at the Bellator NYC on pay-per-view as he defended his lightweight title against Brent Primus. In the first round, the bout was temporarily halted by the referee to check on Chandler; whose left ankle was visibly […]
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• UFC 223 ‘Nurmagomedov vs. Holloway’ Play-by-Play, Results & Round-by-Round Scoring

  03-04-2018 22:41 via sherdog.com
  Sherdog.com's UFC 223 (now available on Amazon Prime) coverage kicks off Saturday at 6:15 p.m. ET.
  
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• UFC debuts official event poster for UFC 223: Nurmagomedov vs. Holloway

  03-04-2018 22:30
  UFC 223’s replacement main event is officially official — and there’s a new event poster to prove it.
  With Tony Ferguson out of his April 7 battle against Khabib Nurmagomedov due to a freak knee injury, the UFC has been forced to scramble in advance of its new short-notice main event of Nurmagomedov vs. UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway. As such, the latest UFC 223 poster is similar to the event’s old poster, only with Nurmagomedov replacing Ferguson’s backgr
  
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• UFC 223 Embedded, Episode 2: ‘Don’t slip like Tony Ferguson’

  03-04-2018 22:06
  In the second episode of UFC 223 Embedded, Khabib Nurmagomedov talks Tony Ferguson and Max Holloway, Joanna Jedrzejczyk’s coach Mike Brown slips and falls on an escalator during a Polish Easter tradition, Rose Namajunas shows off her garden and hand-eye coordination drills, Max Holloway arrives in New York and much more.
  
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• Canelo vs. Golovkin rematch canceled due to failed drug test

  03-04-2018 21:49
  Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin won’t be settling the score next month.
  On Tuesday, Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez announced that the May 5 rematch between two of boxing’s biggest stars has officially been canceled in the wake of Alvarez failing a pair of drug tests taken this past February for the banned substance clenbuterol, per Yahoo Sports. According to Gomez, he was told that Alvarez was unlikely to have his case cleared in time to make the scheduled date.
  &ldq
  
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• Aaron Pico Returns at Bellator 199

  03-04-2018 21:42
  Top prospect Aaron Pico has his next fight lined up under the Bellator MMA banner. The Viacom owned promotion told MMAJunkie that Pico is slated to take on Lee Morrison at Bellator 199. The promotion has yet to officially announce this fight.  This event is looking to be stacked, but it was noted in the […]
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• Max Holloway Reveals Why he Wants to be 2-Division Champion

  03-04-2018 21:03
  UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway continues to speak out about accepting his latest fight. The champion had to pull out of UFC 222 due to an injury. He was scheduled to make his next title defense against former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at the event. If you recall, this bout was originally scheduled for […]
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• Aaron Pico returns against Lee Morrison at Bellator 199

  03-04-2018 21:00
  Featherweight sensation Aaron Pico will return to the Bellator cage in May.
  Pico is slated to meet Lee Morrison at Bellator 199 in San Jose, Calif., on May 12. Bellator officials confirmed the news to MMA Fighting following a report by MMA Junkie.
  Morrison (18-8) will make his Bellator debut after winning four in a row with four stoppages in 2017. The “American Bulldog” has competed seven times under the M-1 Global banner in Russia throughout his 11-year MMA career.
  Pico (2-1) made
  
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• Ilima-Lei Macfaralane to Defend Flyweight Title vs. Alejandra Lara in Bellator 201 Headliner

  03-04-2018 20:37 via sherdog.com
  Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will make her first flyweight title defense against Alejandra Lara in the Bellator 201 main event.
  
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• Ilima-Lei Macfarlane defends flyweight title vs. Alejandra Lara in Bellator 201 main event

  03-04-2018 20:23
  Ilima-Lei Macfarlane’s first title defense is set.
  The 27-year-old Bellator flyweight champion will take on Columbia’s Alejandra Lara in the main event of Bellator 201 at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, Calif., on June 29. Officials confirmed the bout with MMA Fighting following a report by FOX Sports Argentina.
  Macfarlane (7-0) captured the title last November with a fifth-round submission win over Emily Ducote. This will be the Hawaiian’s first main event since joini
  
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• Bellator 199 Update: Top Prospect Aaron Pico Returns to Face Lee Morrison in San Jose

  03-04-2018 20:21 via sherdog.com
  Top featherweight prospect Aaron Pico will once again square off with a more experienced opponent when he meets Lee Morrison at Bellator 199.
  
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• Stephen Thompson ‘not that impressed’ by Darren Till, believes UFC Liverpool booking is ‘a mistake’

  03-04-2018 20:00
  Stephen Thompson is a little confused about his main event booking against Darren Till at UFC Liverpool.“Wonderboy” admitted that he had no idea who the Liverpudlian was when he was first approached about a potential bout. At that time, Thompson had broken his two thumbs in his win over Jorge Masvidal, which made a meeting with Till out of the question.“To be honest with you, I didn’t even know who this guy was when I was approached,” Thompson told Ariel Helwani on
  
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• Eddie Alvarez Says he Was Too Big to Step up at UFC 223

  03-04-2018 19:45
  Eddie Alvarez has explained why he couldn’t replace Tony Ferguson at UFC 223. Ferguson was scheduled to take on Khabib Nurmagomedov to determine who would become the undisputed UFC lightweight champion. In a freak accident, Ferguson tore a ligament in his knee. He was pulled as a result and stripped of the interim lightweight gold. […]
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• Rose Namajunas ‘Felt a Lot of Negative Energy’ from Joanna Jedrzejczyk in First Fight

  03-04-2018 18:51 via sherdog.com
  Rose Namajunas’ first-round technical knockout of Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 217 was one of the biggest — if the biggest — surprises in mixed martial arts of 2017.
  
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• Strawweight Title Bout Headlines One Championship ‘Grit and Glory’ in Indonesia

  03-04-2018 18:29 via sherdog.com
  Alex Silva will defend his strawweight crown in a rematch against Yoshitaka Naito in the One Championship “Grit and Glory” headliner on May 12 in Jakarta, Indonesia.
  
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• George Lockhart Believes That Max Holloway’s UFC 223 Weight Cut Will Be Challenging

  03-04-2018 18:02
  George Lockhart was a huge piece to the puzzle when it came to Max Holloway stepping in to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223. Before anything could be accepted, Holloway’s manager Brian Butler-Au and Holloway reached out to Lockhart, who is Holloway’s nutrition and weight cut coach. It was up to Lockhart to determine whether Holloway […]
  The post George Lockhart Believes That Max Holloway’s UFC 223 Weight Cut Will Be Challenging appeared first on MMA News.
  
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• Video: WWE’s Stephanie McMahon takes shot at Ronda Rousey’s losses, slams her through table

  03-04-2018 18:00
  Ronda Rousey took part in a time-honored professional wrestling tradition on Monday, though on this occasion it was her character getting the short end of the stick.
  Following a segment that saw Rousey and partner Kurt Angle trade heated words with real-life and onscreen authority figures Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, who they will face in a tag team match at WrestleMania 34 this coming Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, the four WWE superstars got physical.
  The four engage
  
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• Khabib Nurmagomedov says he asked UFC to fight ‘Burger King’ Conor McGregor when Tony Ferguson withdrew

  03-04-2018 17:00
  Khabib Nurmagomedov said his first reaction when he heard that Tony Ferguson was out of their UFC 223 title fight was that it must be a joke. “The Eagle” thought it was some kind of April Fool’s prank.
  Upon learning that it was, indeed, legit and Ferguson was injured and could not fight Saturday in Brooklyn, Nurmagomedov told Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of The MMA Hour that he asked the UFC one thing: Where is Conor McGregor?
  “Where is this Burger King?&rdquo
  
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• UFC 223 Odds: Khabib Nurmagomedov Opens as Big Favorite Over Max Holloway

  03-04-2018 16:38 via sherdog.com
  Bookies have been scrambling to finalize their odds for this weekend’s lightweight championship bout with the announcement that Max Holloway will step in for the injured Tony Ferguson at UFC 223
  
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• Stockton Slap: Nate Diaz Takes Aim at Tony Ferguson on Twitter

  03-04-2018 16:36 via sherdog.com
  Nate Diaz is at it again, this time poking fun at the expense of Tony Ferguson after he pulled out of a title fight this weekend against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223
  
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• Bellator 196: Henderson vs. Huerta Preview

  03-04-2018 16:31
  Bellator MMA is gearing up for their next event after taking a few weeks off. However, their back and it looks like an exciting night of fights by looking at the card on paper. Bellator 196 is set to take place on Friday, April 6, 2018 in Budapest, Hungary at the Budapest Sports Arena. The […]
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• Khabib Wants GSP Fight Before He Fights Conor

  03-04-2018 15:31
  The 155lb division is in a fair bit of disarray right now, with Tony Ferguson pulling out due to injury 6 days before UFC 223 and Conor McGregor, the active lightweight champion having not competed in 500+ days now, it all seems to be a little confusing. Especially when you consider Nurmagomedov vs Holloway adds yet […]
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• Dana White Will Never Book Ferguson vs Khabib Again

  03-04-2018 15:26
  Dana White appears to have lost faith in Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Tony Ferguson ever happening. The bout between the two has been booked a total of 4 times now with both fighters having pulled out two times each. With the latest bout between the two being cancelled only 6 days prior to the event, with […]
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• Dana White: “Conor Wants Floyd in the UFC”

  03-04-2018 15:26
  With the rumours of Floyd Mayweather Jr stepping across to MMA continuing to circulate, Dana White recently discussed the matter as well as the prospect of facing Conor McGregor. Speaking to TMZ, White stated “Of course I’m interested and he [Floyd] is also interested,” he continued “the last time we were both interested, you saw […]
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• George Lockhart: Max Holloway’s UFC 223 weight cut will be ‘tied’ for biggest I’ve ever done

  03-04-2018 15:00
  George Lockhart was one of the last lines of defense when it came to Max Holloway accepting the short-notice fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223.
  On Sunday, before news of Tony Ferguson’s injury hit social media, Holloway’s manager Brian Butler-Au and Holloway reached out to Lockhart, Holloway’s nutrition and weight-cut coach. Holloway had the chance to fight Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title in Brooklyn and it was up to Lockhart to determine whether Holloway could
  
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• Tony Ferguson Believes He Shouldn’t Be Stripped Of His Title After “Freak Injury”

  03-04-2018 14:37
  During promotional appearances for UFC 223, Tony Ferguson suffered a “freak injury” after he slipped over a cable and tore his LCL. This injury forced Ferguson to pull out of the biggest fight of his career against Khabib Nurmagomedov, but Ferguson’s troubles are not yet over. During an interview on MMA Fighting’s “The MMA Hour”, […]
  The post Tony Ferguson Believes He Shouldn’t Be Stripped Of His Title After “Freak Injury” appeared fir
  
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• Morning Report: Eddie Alvarez explains why he couldn’t step in to face Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223

  03-04-2018 14:00
  When Tony Ferguson injured himself over the weekend and was forced out of his lightweight title bout against Khabib Nurmagomedov this upcoming Saturday, the UFC was thrown into chaos. The marquee fight of the UFC’s biggest event so far in 2018 was suddenly no more and Dana White and company had to scramble to find a suitable replacement fight to headline UFC 223. In the end, current UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway answered the call and will be stepping up on short notice for a cha
  
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• Unfiltered: Khabib Joins In-Studio and Says 'Aloha' to Max Holloway

  03-04-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov, and Ali Abdelaziz, join Jim and Matt in-studio ahead of Khabib's UFC 223 Lightweight title fight and discuss Max Holloway replacing Tony Ferguson, if any other fighters offered to step in, wanting to fight Georges St-Pierre, training at American Kickboxing Academy, Conor McGregor, Eddie Alvarez, wrestling a bear in Dagestan as a kid, and a lot more. Plus, the guys break down the series of events that led to Tony Ferguson's withdrawal, Darren Till vs. Wonderboy Th
  
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• UFC 223: Fantasy Cheat Sheet

  03-04-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  An injury to Tony Ferguson forced a change to the UFC 223 main event, but there's certainly no less intrigue now that featherweight champion Max Holloway has stepped in to face Khabib Nurmagomedov to determine a new king in the lightweight division.Holloway has never shied away from a challenge, even if that means taking on the undefeated Russian wrecking machine on just six days’ notice. It's a daunting task, but one that Holloway was more than happy to accept as he looks to become a two
  
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• Khabib unfazed by opponent change on UFC 223 Embedded

  03-04-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  As UFC 223 fight week rolled along in snowy Brooklyn, NY, Joanna Jedrzejczyk reacted to the news of Tony Ferguson's injury like the rest of us: that it must be an April Fool's Day prank by the UFC. She even commented "You got me!" to Dana White's news on social media.Of course it quickly came to pass that White was not joking, and that featherweight champ Max Holloway would be moving up to 155lbs, not only to save the card, but to tie Conor McGregor as the only fighter to hold two belts in two d
  
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• It's all business for Lauzon during fight week

  03-04-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  Joe Lauzon walks to the Octagon at UFC 200 event on July 9, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)" align="center" />Not much has changed for Joe Lauzon since his first UFC fight night in September 2006. Sure, he’s a husband and father of two boys now, and he won’t have to go back to an IT job on the Monday after his Saturday bout against Chris Gruetzemacher. But when it comes to the nuts and bolts of fight week, Lauzon is Mr. Reliable.“It’s anothe
  
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• Holloway motivated by 'legacy' on UFC 223 Embedded

  03-04-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  Max Holloway arrived in Brooklyn on the 2nd episode of #UFC223Embedded. He talks about why he took the fight vs. Khabib #UFC223 https://t.co/xxo2siZbsP pic.twitter.com/prYK9KJemA— UFC News (@UFCNews) April 3, 2018Stepping into the Octagon against a fighting machine like Khabib Nurmagomedov on just six days notice without the benefit of a full fight camp might seem like the very defininition of insanity to some people, but not for Max Holloway.As he revealed on the second episode of UF
  
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• Confident Chiesa feeling 'rebuilt' ahead of UFC 223 return

  03-04-2018 07:00 via ufc.com
  Michael Chiesa celebrates his win over Jim Miller on December 10, 2015 in Las Vegas, NV. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)" align="center" /> They can rebuild him. Okay, it’s not as dramatic as Steve Austin becoming the Six Million Dollar Man, but Michael Chiesa does feel a lot different heading into his UFC 223 bout against Anthony Pettis than he did for his last one against Kevin Lee, or for any previous bout for that matter.“I don’t want to sound cliché, so I&rsquo
  
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• Matt Brown still wants Condit: ‘We’ll do it for sure when I’m back’

  03-04-2018 06:59
  Matt Brown isn’t giving up on a duel with Carlos Condit.
  MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani reported Monday that “The Immortal” suffered a knee injury that would force him to withdraw from his welterweight encounter versus Condit in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 29 in Glendale, Ariz., on April 14.
  Brown took to Instagram later in the evening to confirm the injury and express his interest in being booked opposite Condit again. #badnews A post shared byMatthew Brown (@iamtheim
  
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• Matt Brown Suffers Torn ACL, Pulls Out of UFC on Fox 29 Bout Against Carlos Condit

  03-04-2018 03:26 via sherdog.com
  Matt Brown has suffered a torn ACL and has been forced to withdraw from a proposed welterweight bout against Carlos Condit at UFC on Fox 29.
  
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• Matt Brown Injured and Out of Fight Against Carlos Condit at UFC on FOX 29

  03-04-2018 03:06
  Veteran welterweight contender Matt Brown has suffered an injury that has forced him out of his upcoming bout against Carlos Condit in the co-main event at UFC on FOX 29. Sources close to the situation confirmed that Brown suffered a torn ACL in his knee just recently that caused him to drop out of the […]
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• Monday Morning Analyst: Max Holloway’s takedown defense vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov

  03-04-2018 03:00
  How good is Max Holloway’s takedown defense and how could it stack up to the relentless attacks from Khabib Nurmagomedov? In this episode of the podcast, we try to answer those questions ahead of the new main event at UFC 223.
  
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• Injury forces Matt Brown out of UFC on FOX 29 bout with Carlos Condit

  03-04-2018 02:52
  Just one day after Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov was wiped off the schedule, another April fight fans had savored is also off.
  The welterweight matchup between Carlos Condit and Matt Brown, which was slated to be the co-feature attraction of UFC on FOX 29 in Glendale, Ariz., is off. MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani learned Monday that Brown had to withdraw from the April 14 event due to a torn ACL.
  UFC officials are attempting to arrange a substitute opponent for Condit (30-11), a for
  
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• UFC 223 Embedded, Episode 1: ‘Saturday night long night for you’

  03-04-2018 01:22
  In the first episode of UFC 223 Embedded, Khabib Nurmagomedov finds out about Tony Ferguson being out and Max Holloway stepping in, Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Rose Namajunas take ice baths and much more.
  
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• Tony Ferguson feels ‘freak injury’ during ‘UFC-obligated’ event shouldn’t cost him title

  03-04-2018 01:00
  The physical pain of a ruptured lateral collateral ligament is one thing. But Tony Ferguson said that that learning the UFC was planning on stripping him of his interim lightweight championship after a freak accident which happened on the company’s time was even worse.
  After news broke on Sunday that Ferguson had to pull out of his UFC 223 main event against Khabib Nurmagomedov due to his LCL injury, UFC president Dana White told ESPN that the new main event of Nurmagomedov vs. featherwei
  
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• Khabib Nurmagomedov Says He Wouldn’t Have Accepted UFC 223 Fight If He Was Max Holloway

  03-04-2018 00:39
  Max Holloway has been praised for stepping in and facing Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 on short notice, but Nurmagomedov has stated that he wouldn’t have stepped in if he was in Max Holloway’s shoes. On an episode of The MMA Hour, Khabib Nurmagomedov told Ariel Helwani that he would not have taken the fight on […]
  The post Khabib Nurmagomedov Says He Wouldn’t Have Accepted UFC 223 Fight If He Was Max Holloway appeared first on MMA News.
  
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