Dan Hardy | PFL Dublin, Francis Ngannou & PFL's 2024 Plans | Energized Show

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What is up and welcome to The Energized Show! On this episode Dan Hardy joins us to discuss his PFL Dublin, Francis Ngannou's future & PFL's 2024 plans. Like, Comment, Subscribe & Hit the notification bell for more Energized Shows! Youtube : Energized Show Instagram…

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[Music] en sh up the Irish time okay what's going on guys and welcome to a brand new episode of energized brought to you by Forest D Stout Ross are you intoxicated or something introduce the guest man today we are bringing you a PF Dublin special and there's only one man who can talk from top to bottom of the card and that is Dan The Outlaw Hardy Dan how are you doing my man I'm good guys I feel I feel like I fit in there with you guys rocking the sunglasses I'm usually the odd one out sitting there oh know all day every day tce on Sunday Dan uh obviously we have you on here to talk pfl duin uh you're coming to the three Arena you're coming out in force uh you've assembled a large amount of Irish fighters on the card what was it like getting the fighters in the door and how happy are you with the card you've assembled you know I'm I'm I'm happy with it I think there there are some certain fights on there that are going to really deliver I think we're going to be surprised with some of the performances but there I mean honestly there are a couple of my favorites on there fight fighters that I really want to see back in action at a high level and and that I know have got a lot of Promise um but the the ones I've been chasing I mean you know Andreas spind there I've been to bring him into the pfl for for a while uh just a very very impressive individual um and you know especially now at lightweight as well like I feel like this is the weight class where he can really be you know be a world champion but then taking on someone that's got more experience and you know probably knows his game pretty well as well considering the crossover with the two gyms with scati um that that is one of the standouts for me but I I'm I'm happy with the card I feel like I mean there were a couple of Fighters that I did really want on the card that that just got away from us but that that I'll be circling back to them next year um we're very much in the process of building and like the thing is like with the Paris event being such a I mean it was such a success with Cedric dunay you know basically like holding the the show down for us and selling it so well um it's different here because like I mean I was there for for the McGregor brandal fight like the expectations in Irish mix martial arts from that event have been so high I feel like it's always been difficult to kind of reach that height again and for me the the the next height of Irish mix martial arts is seeing the younger fighters coming through the the the the base level of Irish MMA right now is very very high um and we see that in the amateurs and I think that in the next couple of years we're gonna have some some really really big Irish stars that are going to stand out and that that's what I'm looking for for the next shows over there yeah I will say I think that is the thing that pfl have done differently than the likes of belor have done they've taken their own talent and they've made them feel special like your Kayla Harrison's like your brenon loine even when we saw uh Nathan Kelly fought over in New York you know he was doing a bit of pre-fight media we saw him we always laugh saying he was like racing cars around this like carar on stage and just thought that was like bit weird but like also unique which is which is what you're looking for well it stuck in my memory so it worked but uh what is it that you feel a pfl do differently cuz you've worked with nearly all the promotions in one capacity or other at this stage H you know and of course I'm I'm still very new to the pfl you know I only I've only just kind of started working with them in the sense of a Matchmaker and a you know the head of fighter Ops for pfl Europe which is my job full-time stepping in next year that's that's where I'll really fully take over all the cards and all the matchmaking this year has been like a learning process for me and and you know seeing how the pfl do things and trying to figure out you know what the goal is for the pfl and how I can add to it like the the thing I've learned first and foremost is that there are far too many fighters across Europe for the amount of shows that we've got right we have good Fighters that can't get action we have veteran Fighters that can't get match because they've got too many fights and and the thing is with with with all of promotions when they've got that one belt at the top of the division and everyone's chasing after it it tends to be down to marketability and of course record name recognition ticket sales Etc whereas the pfl it's about winning fights right like the money's there at the end of the T at the end of the the road when you've won the fights of course if you can promote yourself and you can sell the fights then that's even better but it's it's a meritocracy right and and what I'm trying to find that the best martial artists my my job right now is to focus on Europe but when we open up these other regions around the world we're going to do the same things we're going to find the champion in the Middle East we're going to find the champion in South America and the champion in oceanana and Asia and we're going to bring all those Champions together and then they're going to fight off for the million dollars like that's really where I feel like we're going to every corner of the earth to find the best fighters in each region and then we put them on an even playing field so they can work their way up to the top and if they get to the top of course there's the million dollars the world title and then beyond that now we've got Francis andu headlining the pay-per-view events we'll have the big pay-per-view shows where the you know the European Champions the world champions can then step into and you know make some serious money on a good platform yeah Dan Dan break the news now will Francis and Gano be at pfl Dublin I am I'm working on it I would love him to be there I actually don't know where he is right now he's in such such high demand I I would love to get him there we're working on a few of the guests as well I do want to do some uh some fighter meet and greet so there will be some stars there absolutely to meet the fans but Francis I I I I don't know right now he is he is the hottest commodity in Combat Sports yeah because Russ wants to F him in the main event don't you R yeah million on the table my friend you know what I'll take it I'll take it how come out the other so does it come with health insurance that'll take yeah but uh yeah actually we want to get into the card as well Don obviously the card was announced and then it was taken down and then it came back up um what sort of happened there uh I'm sure you're aware of that yeah I just I just wanted to reshuffle I wanted to reshuffle the card um the thing is with this again you know this is the first year that we've we're doing a European um Regional event um we've got four championship fights you know four 25 minute fights and and they're going to be they're going to be battles I expect I expect you know I mean at least half of them are going to be really arduous back and forth I think we're going to get some standout performances but I think they're both I mean all all the fights are very evenly matched um so I just wanted to kind of break the pace a little bit put a couple of fights in between that will you know be a little bit shorter perhaps and uh a little bit more intense um but honestly like like you look at this card and I I could have I could have built it any way really like when we go back to the Newcastle card that very much felt like a traditional MMA fight where we had the main and co-main event and then everybody else falls into place underneath when we went to Berlin the card was not the same because we had we had standout fights in every weight class and you could have just kind of we could have organized those fights in any order based on where we were now we had farbod at the top because he was you know he was the local fighter but it's the same thing with this card like we've got Brett Jones halfway down the card we've got Tom Brees halfway down the card binder scti could have been the main event I have a feeling that when mcgillan and and Wesley meire get in get into one another get under each other's skin that's going to be one of the main focuses of the fight but that's that's aside from the four championship fights that we've got like it's difficult to stack these fights and do justice to everyone on the card because a lot of them could be main co-main event fights um we you talked about Nate Kelly you know he had such a good performance he's had great performances generally with the pfl but this for me feels like a homecoming and I wanted him to have that celebration because like I mean first of all he's killing it on ticket sales like people want to see Nate Kelly and they they've not had the opportunity to see him fight live for a long time so this is going to be a good opportunity for him to really kind of you know thank the fans for their support at the same time as potentially getting a couple of Irish European Champions um at the same time as you know Dylan TK's going to try and steal the show because he's annoyed that he's not in the main event um I'm just that's been been the biggest challenge really is trying to figure out the right order of this card to make sure that people don't feel like they're being neglected but everybody's a main event fighter in their own mind aren't they yeah definitely I I do feel looking at the card being totally honest that like when I was looked at the C I actually don't know which one well cuz I think John Mitchell was a the main event and I was like I was like big fan of John Mitchell like hope he goes and wins the 100K obviously we're Irish so we're just going to support him H that's where our boy supposed to show but like I was like I was like oh I having a cork fella headline the duin show I was like I was like oh does that is that going to be the best for business or whatever but like they all hold the same level of excitement for me like you said i' say there's about eight or 10 fights on the card that I'm like yeah I really want to see that one yeah I really want to see that one and like the whole way out and like that is one thing that I will H commend yourself on the matchmaking is brilliant for it like Bender scy is great like uh seeing SBG versus SBG Charlestown you know on Rod versus John Cav in the corners going at it like I know they do it the all time on the regional scene but uh seeing them doing on a big stage like this is going to be a very fun to see um there are some other ones uh one question I actually did want to ask uh was the Lis mcgillin fight obviously in the original card he was going to fight matis and now he's fighting Wesley MOA what happened there and um are we going to see M sign with the pfl or is that a bit up in the air well I mean honestly I was I was very excited for that fight and you know when that when that fight was agreed I was hoping that that was going to be a showcase bout and it was going to kind of potentially steal the show you know we we saw Mattis coming off that beautiful spinning back fist knockout on on Pet's show and and you know he's clearly got a lot of potential mcgillan of course is undefeated and and wants to fight everybody that stares him in the face so that that's always going to be an interesting matchup unfortunately you know sometimes these things get out you know the the the fight got announced contracts weren't signed money demands double and those kind of things and ultimately this is they're the kind of circumstances where you where I find out whether whether you people really want to fight or not and honestly as as much as I like Mattis I don't really feel like he wanted that fight because the the match was made uh it was a agreed through John kaver uh he sent me his passport we were going to get the fight locked in contracts went out but unfortunately uh the the news of the fight was was escaped from the pfl side and then he has a manager that wants double the money and I I have budgets I'm working for and what the the situation it was putting me in is that I was gonna have to lose a fight from the undercard put two people off the card to have him back on the card and I I just I can't do that on my conscience you know what I mean like I'm I'm I'm people don't people sometimes don't realize I mean like people are getting getting decent money for decent fights and they they don't want to take risks there's a lot of that in mixed martial arts right now like I I was fighting people for no money at all and taking big risks and that wasn't ideal but but there's got to be a middle ground people have to step up and take an opportunity now Mattis was offered a four-fight contract going into next year if he'd have won the fights he he'd have made six figures but he I don't know I don't know sometimes people get in like managers get in their ear and they kind of say wellow you know you're worth this and you're worth that and we got these views and that views and ultimately you know you look at someone's record and you kind of start to pull it apart and you figure out what their actual value is I I can't pay over the odds for Fighters that think their value is worth more than it is unfortunately and that it was a shame because that would have been a good fight and that would have been a good opportunity for Mattis to really prove himself even if he didn't win you know would have had a good good opportunity to prove himself prove his guts and determination have a good fight on the card but he the I don't feel like he wanted it in the end it all came down to money and the demands were unreasonable yeah back and forth those who LS would have had as well would have made it like a a if not what defo to watch as well um yeah for sure but but this in this situation now like Wesley Meer doesn't like mcran they've not liked each other for a while and this has been kind of simmering in the background um Wesley Meer accepted the fight immediately didn't didn't even I mean didn't even want to know what the purse is you know what I mean he he's desperate to fight like that that speaks to me because that makes me excited about watching a fighter if it if it comes down to well I'll do it if it's this and if it's that and I want to be compensated for the risks that I take I mean come on this is professional Combat Sports every fight's a risk you know you've got to be willing to back yourself sometimes and and unfortunately in that situation he went from having a four-fight contract that would have taken him through to the end of next year to now negotiating himself out of a fight for for a silly reason really yeah well let's like focus on people that are actually on the card now n Nathan Kelly he's headlining the card like what he's doing he's G like he lost his first few fights and now he's just gone on this unbelievable winner streak what is it about Nathan Kelly that is just like right he's headlining he's almost like the poster boy for uh pfl in Ireland you know he impresses me every time he's out there he he's got he's got such composure he's got such a depth of technique you know you can take him anywhere and and you can be challenged with his with his technical ability with his physicality but I also feel like a fighter like like Nathan Kelly he needs that realization that the fans are there for him to support him because when he has been fighting away from home you know he doesn't have a big traveling fan base that that that is really showing him that kind of support like I think this is his his opportunity to realize his potential going into 2024 Nate Kelly is going to be a big star in the pfl I I'm I'm confident of that and I think he just needs to realize the potential that he has and this is his opportunity you know like yeah go go back and I don't mean to keep likening it to this event but for me the mcgreger brandow event in Dublin was a standout it was it was an incredible event no one showed up to watch brandow right no no one showed up to see what brandow brings to the table that was that was McGregor knowing how much of a star he is and showing up and commanding the show sometimes you need a tough fight you need someone that's awkward like um like um Solus to to Really drag out the best of you I think this is going to be a real scrap for as long as it lasts and I think what we're going to see is Nate Kelly realize his star potential and and leave everybody with a good with a good feeling about that event that's what I'm expecting and I'm expecting him to also carry that fan base into into the new year and really show people what he's capable of in the pfl at the higher level um his opponent is is tricky and awkward and challenging he's going to want to scrap at long range he's going to want to tangle up in the clinch and try and you know be as chaotic and as uncomfortable for Nate Kelly as possible but the pressure is on Nate here to to Really perform and putting him in this position on the card he's gonna gonna further you know accentuate that pressure and I think he's going to respond well yeah he's a great lad brand McGregor fight that was actually the first ever event myself and Ross went to as well that that was off the rails that night wasn't it Ross yeah it was it was it was a night that would live on for in Irish M May folklore forever um we started the podcast after that like from uh from going from one Nate Kelly to to the other at the bottom of the card H Nate the Great Kelly is going to do a featured amateur bout on the card um what did you what did you make of this and uh well not what did you make of it or what was the reason behind putting them on the card and is this something that we might see in the future from pfl seeing some amateur bels on the card or is Nate the Great a special character and that's why here yeah I mean my intention was to have three or four um amateur fights on this card we we ran into issues with with the length of the show given the fact that we've got four 25 minute fights potentially um I I was at the press conference where McGregor stole Aldo's belt and I remember Nate being there sitting on his dad's shoulders telling Dana that he was going to be a world champion one day and and from that moment you know from the the attention that he got from from the whole kind of the the McGregor rise to fame like there's been a lot of pressure on this kid's shoulders and and he he's a very very talented mixed martial artist and and you know he has a good fan base he has a good following but the thing I've realized about his fan base is it's it's very very deep and it's very genuine like they are they they they want to follow his career they understand that there are going to be ups and downs like he fought the four nations in in Wales recently and he wasn't successful but he picks himself up and he gets back in the gym he's he's coaching he's training all the time and and he he presents to me a lifelong martial artist that's dedicated to bettering his craft no matter how much pressure he's under like Nate Kelly at the top of the card has a decent following Nathan Kelly the Young Nathan Kelly's got a big following for a young man that's a lot of a lot of pressure yeah and and in these circumstances where he gets an opportunity like this to step onto a card and to you know show people what he's been working on show people what he's capable of and kind of you know give a bit of thanks back to the people people that have supported him for up to this point like that that's that's for me what it's about like the amateurs are where it's at right now there are a lot of amateur Fighters coming through that in a year's time they will be Head and Shoulders above the majority of the pros that we're watching and and I've seen that in the Irish mix martial arts I've seen it in Wales I've seen it in Scotland I've seen it in England I've seen it all the way across Europe and this is a my way of opening the door to the amateurs so when 2024 comes around amateurs are going to look at pfl under cards and go there might be a spot for me there and they can use that as motivation to you know to to push through their career um I I was an amateur ones but there were there was no such thing as amateur MMA I was fighting on mats in a Sports Hall with one five minute round to be able to have these guys share a stage and we have the same in the US with bag Ali Walsh um you know Muhammad Ali's grandson he's amateur still he's doing very well on the pfl and when the time comes for him to make his Pro debut that the pfl smart cage will be there for him and I want the same kind of um the same kind of offering to be in Europe to the amateurs across Europe as well just quicking on that uh his opponent actually fought at the weekend and lost via TKO will there be any potential issues with him fighting on the card I I will look into that I'll check in with his team and make sure he's he's all right I mean we've got 30 days he's got plenty of time to to you know even if he was give the heads up in case didn't know yeah he's got plenty of time to to to heal up and get back on it but I I I have I have people calling me every day all day to jump on this card so I'm not going to struggle with with Replacements if if I need one I don't think like I said I would have liked a couple more amateur fights on this card and through 2020 I've built in space on the undercards for for at least two amateur BS per show no we love to see it we love the amateur fors myself and bar yeah H like obviously France Mambo is going to be fighting to win the 100,000 and so will John Mitchell but like other other stars in the card the way pfl promoting them has been like like it's been amazing like the way like Dakota the CH the way she's like reading with Man City and Simeon pal and then and you also mentioned Lis mcgran like for people that aren't so to an organization yet from the outside looking in at pfl they could be like you know what the way they treat their their Fighters is uh is something very original would you agree with that Dan yeah I think so you know I mean everybody's got the opportunity and and option to hang on and and and sign with the UFC and I know a lot of Fighters do want that but the the fighters that you're talking about like for example you put Simeon in in the mix at light heavyweight and he kind of you know he's he's somewhere on an undercard and people aren't really paying much attention to him which is which is fine if you want to do your work in the dark but some some Fighters and Lewis mcgillin's a good example like he's destined for stardom like you put a camera in front of him and and he just he switches on right he wouldn't have got that same kind of attention up to this point his career and I feel like he can he can really you know grow his brand alongside the pfl which is something that's very difficult to do with the UFC especially when they take away you know your sponsorships and you know they they they kind of curate your career to be a part of the UFC I I want mcgillin to be a star in his own right same as with Dakota same as with same as with the fighters that I've signed ready for next year as well I mean you know binder scti both of those guys have got the the potential to be absolute powerhouses in in Europe and and if they can grow their brand alongside that it gives them longevity outside of their career um it's it's the opportunity really to work with an organization as opposed to work for an organization that's the that's the feeling that's different for me and that goes from you know these guys on pfl Europe all the way to Francis and ganu I've said this over and over again this week like we like he's not signed to our promotion like we work with him right he is a part of the pfl and and that's ultimately how it needs to be it's how it is for boxing that's how Mayweather turn the game around when it comes to the boxing world and you know you can do it in mixed martial arts as well it's just difficult to do it in in some promotions more than others yeah and then what what's what do you sort of make of the way the pfl are really pushing the Irish for is as well like obviously myself and Ross are very happy with it but like what do you think it is about the Irish Market that pfl really want to capture I I I think to be honest it's I mean you look across Europe and you've got certain markets that really stand out you know Irish martial arts you know because of McGregor because of of SBG um because of the you know the the ferocity of the Irish fans ultimately I mean you know you guys have got the best fans in the world the French are giving you a run for the money I will say that I will say that but that's another region which is really coming up you know French MMA partly because it's quite new but partly because it's only just been legalized but Irish MMA feels different for me it feels like everybody's waiting on that next big star you know and and and it really kind of comes from like McGregor and the brandow event like there it was it was such a turning point for Irish makes martial arts that and this is why I feel like young Nate Kelly's got so much attention because people were like well okay he's the next guy he's the next guy and and then like and like the Irish fans are just ready to Rally around someone that's that's giving it their all and and and I think that you've got so many good options in Irish mix martial arts right now I mean you know another guy that I'm looking at that I'm I'm still working I'd love to add him to the card is Jordan fury like like an an absolute superstar in the making for sure but you know has power in the hands yeah scary power you know a vicious Striker confident in every range got the backing of of SBG as well I I feel like I feel like Irish MMA is kind of simmering and ready to explode again it's ready for that second big wave of talent to come through and in my opinion we've got we've got a good portion of that Talent on the on the pfl roster yeah and Don for people just tune in now like a lot of people go to would want to go to cage Wars I know people were going to Bellator as well but like if people were sort of thinking about where they should take their career why would pfl be the right choice um I mean for for me as a fighter if I was a young Fighter the F first and foremost it's the guarantee of of activity right if you keep winning fights you're G to you're going to stay active right you know your path if if you're if I'm a fighter going into 2024 and I can sign a PFO contract into the 100K tournament I know I've got three fights and I know I've got six figures at the end of it and that that European title is also my ticket to bigger things right whether I come back to Europe and do big feature shows in Main and co-main event positions against bigger names whether I move over onto the onto the global roster and and mix it up with you know with the bigger names over there fighting for the world title and the million dollars and then of course if you win that then you can transition onto the the pay-per-view events as well so there's a there's a clear path from the amateurs if you're Biagio or you're young Nate Kelly you keep winning you go on the European roster then you win the European title you move to the world championships and get that you've picked up a hundred grand you've picked up a million dollars and then you know your option is there whether you want to stick around and try for a different belt in a different weight class or the same belt again or whether you want the pay-per-view bracket or you know what what else do you want to do do you want do you want to box do you want to fight Jake Paul I mean like the options are really endless we've got a lot of flexibility and I think in the coming weeks as well you're going to notice well you're going to realize that there's going to be a lot more within the pfl's hands um in in the coming months when it comes to how do I put this without giving too much away you give it all the way give it all the way give we're kept secret in MMA I'm get in trouble this is the thing I can't say too much don't worry I'll tell James on uh on thurs it was it was all my fault there's a lot coming up in in in uh in 2024 uh the pfl are going to be doing a lot more as well as things that are going to be linked with the pfl um so opportunities opportunities that's the main reason but competition's always good isn't Russ yeah 100% is and like like we said at the top of the hour like you know I mean uh pfl are doing great work and they're very much a welcome addition into into the market you know I mean in the European market we love to see it um before we do let you go Dan is the card finished I know you talk about Jordan like there's other people like you know Gary Rooney who was hot young pro h j Harris is a free agent at the moment um I'm sure these are all names you're well familiar with Max L I think is over in Thailand at the moment he's obviously very hot at the moment um on Sheridan's also looking to get get a fight as well like there's there's a few people who are at the B lock ran yeah t lock ran just fought there um up conflict got a got a rear naked choke win there's there's a few a few boys Chomp not the bit um maybe her fight is the card done or could we see one or two more fights added that late notice I'm I'm still looking at adding a couple of fights to the card absolutely I'm I'm still looking at I'm still looking at what we can add to the card that's going to that's going to make the fans feel like we're listening to them right this like I'm I'm an MMA fan but I don't know everything about MMA like you've you've just thrown a bunch of names at me and I recognize the names but the you know like there are so many more names out there this is the best thing about as soon as I got this job I had I had managers and coaches and fans messaging me you got to check this guy got to check this guy out like there are so many fighters that I need to be I need to be added into my roster and and paying attention to um I'm I'm I'm I'm very much playing catchup at the moment but I'm G I'm gonna look at adding a couple more fights to this card especially a couple of you know local der's to were you know to to get the gyms involved a bit more yes and then just just a last question for me Dan um how many times would you expect pfl to come back to Dublin next year oh oh man I mean we we we've got to come back at least once I mean at the moment I'm playing with four shows for pfl Europe we've got other things that we're working in in on around that um but I mean at least once I would love to come back there twice um we've got a couple of Demands from from elsewhere I mean you know I've got Italy's calling for a show and Spain's calling for a show and Germany wants us back and we've not been to the Netherlands in a while and we've got some good Fighters representing there as well so it what like I said what I'm realizing is we need more shows like I could do 12 shows in a year for pfl Europe and still have you know double the roster that that's not getting action um I'm I'm hoping for at least a couple next year though in in Dublin for sure well maybe maybe that's the uh first Port of Call January 1st you sit down and go I need more shows and and that's how we roll it out because uh look more the merrier I always say uh and I'm definitely here for but Dan I can't wait for it like it's going to be an incredible show like like we said you could list any F on the card and it could be main event obviously you have to give massive shout outs to the core hor box John Mitchell H who's fighting in the lightweight title H Shan oon better mind his P's and qes next time he's in the cage uh for a post fight interview with him and then also to France malambo as well um France France is a man of many skills and he looks incredible in there I'd like to see him put a bit more of an exclamation mark on the next performance uh I feel like he's stop playing with your food France and uh get in there for the kill cuz uh he he's slick as hell in there and then obviously bers is going to be an absolute barn burner and then obviously H can't can't not mention d1's own H Dylan T um that man that man uh might make the show his own come uh come fight night because uh there ain't no character like Dylan hook no I sh sh have both Nathan Kelly's and uh yeah of course main main main event of uh the undercard main event of uh the main card yeah so for people tuning in now make sure to check it out on the zone and it's going to be live from Dublin tree Arena on Friday December the 8th uh Ross anything else to say Bo oh Dan anything else to say before we wrap things up I don't think so just you know just come and join us we're we're we're looking to have a celebration of mixed martial arts on that night and you know December's always a good time to have a have a good blowout and and have a good party and it's going to be a party atmosphere we're going to be handing $100,000 checks to four Champions we're going to be handing out beautiful brand new belts um and we've got you know the the future of of Irish mixed martial arts on the card as well um and potentially a couple more to add so it's uh it's going to be a good night and I appreciate all your guys support no worries Dan Z thanks million for joining us going to be an unbelievable night get there for the first fight uh Nate the Great will be out out in action or who knows Dan Hardy might have a few more tricks up his sleeve you never know but it is going to be a fantastic night of mix Mar arts in the 3 Arena come December will'll be there Don will be there and all your favorite other photos will be there so if you are watching home make sure to like share subscribe and as always stay energized ened energized sh up the Irish insting you guys a couple of times I've seen a couple of Clips I think you done some interviews with Dylan and that I I saw so keep going keep up the good walk guys