Is Brock Lesnar Going to Walk Away From the UFC Like He Has From Everything Else?
Zach Arnold points out the fact that Lesnar walked away from the WWE, wrestling in Japan, the NFL and asks the question is the UFC going to be the next bride of Lesnar left jilted at the altar?
There are a lot who aren't fans who are scared that Lesnar isn't going to be fighting. There's good reason for these fans to worry about Lesnar and his physical state. However, it's his mental state that should worry everyone much more so in the long run.
Lesnar is known for being successful at one thing and then decided to quit and move on. He gets bored, he gets disinterested, and he always needs a new challenge....
He always burns a bridge and he doesn't care because he knows that there will always be another sugar daddy waiting for him to pay him a lot of money to do whatever tickles his fancy at that moment in time.
Which is why the news of Lesnar taking significant time off should make people in UFC very nervous. The reported reason for Lesnar's prolonged absence is that he is suffering not from the swine flu but from mono and that he can't train. The illness will keep Lesnar on the sidelines for at least a month before he can resume training. There are already doubts about Lesnar as UFC champion and he only has 5 professional fights under his belt. He's UFC's biggest star (Georges St. Pierre is #2) and the promotion can't afford to lose him.That's what happens when you put all of your eggs into his basket. He sells millions of PPV buys and is a huge name. He will always have a fan base with him no matter where he goes, which is why Brock Lesnar is doubly dangerous for any promoter to book long-term. Even when he has a legitimate reason for not showing up (like an illness), it always creeps up in the back of your head about whether or not he has any loyalty left to you or is interested in continuing doing what he is doing at the current time.
I've asked before whether or not Brock Lesnar can handle the media heat that comes with being the UFC heavyweight champion and biggest star. Nothing has happened to alleviate my concerns:
Lesnar reminds me of no one so much as Axl Rose of Guns N Roses. Those of you old enough to remember Axl's hey dey will recall that the mercurial star constantly had blowups with reporters, fans, other musicians and his bandmates.
That sort of intensity helped make Rose one of the most compelling figures in pop culture for about five years, but it also dramatically shortened his career by sending him into a decade long self-imposed seclusion.
I hope Lesnar can learn to take some deep breaths because if he wins this fight, the media glare is only going to become more relentless.
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The NFL a jilted bride?
…not exactly….Brock just wasn’t good enough to make the NFL, like millions of others…..the WWE, yeah, jilted…..
by NeilLomaxFan on Nov 6, 2009 4:00 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
Exactly
He got cut, and he didn’t want to move to Europe to play over there, makes sense to me. I think the main difference is he enjoys fighting a lot more than he did the WWE.
by ufc4 on Nov 6, 2009 4:02 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 3 recs
Arnold claims that Lesnar was promised a starting spot with the Vikings if
he would have been willing to ride the bench for a while, Lesnar wasn’t into that so he quit.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Nov 6, 2009 4:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I seem to recall that...
They wanted him to go to NFL Europe to work on things.
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Nov 6, 2009 4:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
He was cut…but they were willing to allocate him after the season to NFL Europe with a Viking sticker on his helmet but still not apart of the Vikings, and then after the NFL Europe season ended he would have (possibly, if he performed well in Europe) been invited to training camp, again, with the Vikings and tried to make the team again…
cut in august, sept-march would have been doing nothing with Pro Football, April and he would have been in Europe for next 4 months, then came back to Minnesota for training camp in mid-July and try again…
let’s be realistic, promised a starting spot (NEVER)…NFL doesn’t need non-football names to play to bring in fans, media, anything…this is like when my friend tried to tell me when Lesnar first went to camp with the Vikings that he was going to be starting MLB and that the Vikings already announced it and I slapped my friend for being an idiot and knowing nothing about football or sports in general…
by Reaser16 on Nov 6, 2009 5:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
that is absurd. no NFL team would make that promise. They left him off the 53 man roster, but wanted him to hone his technique in NFL Europe. Lesnar wanted to be close to his home and family, and said no.
by Hardcharger on Nov 6, 2009 4:32 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
same basic premise
once some sacrifice was entailed, Brock was gone.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Nov 6, 2009 4:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
No, it’s not. Playing in the NFL is sacrifice. But he would get to do it in Minnesota. Just like he is getting to do now as a fighter.
Sending a guy to Europe is not going to be appealing so many. Especially not a guy who just quit the WWE so he could be at home more with family and simplify his life.
And none of that even addresses the supposed promised starting spot, which is just absurd.
by Hardcharger on Nov 6, 2009 4:39 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
agreed. i think saying he “got bored” with the wwe or the nfl is a bit off the mark. hasn’t he said that he disliked the wwe because of the brutal schedule, and all the traveling? not really an issue for him these days, when he only has to fight a couple times a year, if that.
and he doesn’t seem like the kinda guy who’s gonna be getting the acting “bug” anytime soon, so if he did leave the ufc… what would he do?
by woooburn on Nov 6, 2009 4:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Live comfortably away from the spotlight with his beautiful wife in his huge house?
Bolts from the Blue // "Game over." - Jamal Williams
Bloody Elbow // "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." - H.L. Mencken
by Richard Wade on Nov 6, 2009 4:24 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
i suppose. but couldn’t he have done that before he started training mma? he was already living pretty comfortably before that point.
by woooburn on Nov 6, 2009 4:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
he “needs” competition though, type of person he is…mma is basically all he has left unless he wants to try football again…
by Reaser16 on Nov 6, 2009 5:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Exactly Part Deux
He wasn’t good enough to play in the NFL, and as was stated, didn’t want to go to Europe to hone his skills for a few years with no guarantee of ever being able to play in the NFL. Maybe he jilted the WWE but at the end of the day he hated all the traveling and all the crap that he had go through. He has publicly stated that he needed that competition aspect and that the WWE wasn’t giving him that. So he made the tough choice to walk away from millions so he could be with his family, at home, and find something that gives him that true competition that he craves. He will walk away from the UFC but it won’t be in the next couple of years.
"I will do nothing lightly. When I walk, I will walk heavily. When I fight, I will fight with conviction. When I speak, I will speak strongly. When I love, I will love with everything"
by dedstrk316 on Nov 6, 2009 6:39 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
As much as a huge loss of talent it would be for him to move on, I wouldn’t miss hearing him run his mouth.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on Nov 6, 2009 4:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I rather enjoyed his post-fight UFC 100 performance, myself
and thought much of it wasn’t unprovoked.
"I would approve signing a pitcher that ate kitten tacos if he won 20 games a year." -BPinOK
by duck on Nov 6, 2009 4:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I largely didn't care about that.
It’s the gay-bashing, tantrum-throwing, door-destroying antics that I outgrew when I started kindergarten that piss me off.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on Nov 6, 2009 4:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Gay bashing is never defensible
But I’m OK with some tantrum throwing and door destroying. It can be quite entertaining.
"I would approve signing a pitcher that ate kitten tacos if he won 20 games a year." -BPinOK
by duck on Nov 6, 2009 5:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
And Lesnar never bashed gays anyway.
He just said he didn’t like them. He didn’t say they were evil or going to hell or that we should hunt them down and kick the crap out of them. He just said he doesn’t like them.
Does that reveal some latent homophobia? Sure.
Is is reprehensible? No.
by Steve4192 on Nov 6, 2009 5:17 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I disagree. I go with the “homosexuality is innate” idea, so I don’t see it as any different than saying you don’t like black people or women. But that’s another issue for another website…
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on Nov 6, 2009 8:11 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Actually, yes.
It’s one thing if he just didn’t like gay people – fine, whatever. But this isn’t about what he likes, it’s about what he did which was to make a point of telling people that he didn’t like gay people and at the same time to humiliate the young lady who was asking for an autograph for her gay brother.
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
by jemaleddin on Nov 7, 2009 2:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If he feels that he doesn’t get enough challenges in the UFC after 5 fights.. then he should problably just leave, because there are lots and lots of people who can take a run at his place at the top… in that promotion.
by grein on Nov 6, 2009 4:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Axl comparrison is not apt, Axl is mentally ill…not joking.
Lesnar left the WWE in part because of the life, he hated the road. I can’t remember Meltzer writing about that long before he actually quit.
by Lynchman on Nov 6, 2009 4:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Axl is awesome
Don’t forget that. Most brilliant people are insane.
Head Kick Legend
Twitter @HeadKickLegend
by D.W. on Nov 6, 2009 4:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Slash, Izzy and Duff made that band
If Axl’s so awesome, why did Chinese Democracy suck eggs? And anyone so egotistical that Buckethead can’t work with you, well, that’s a pretty impressive ego right there.
"I would approve signing a pitcher that ate kitten tacos if he won 20 games a year." -BPinOK
by duck on Nov 6, 2009 5:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
/\
this.
thanks for remembering Izzy. That guy was a money rhythm guitarist.
Axl was talented too, but it was the collaboration that made GnR great.
What really fucked them was the 10 videos per album cycle of that era. had they just cranked out 4 albums in 3 years after Appetite for Destruction…the way Kiss or AC/DC or Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin did it back in the 1970s, GnR would’ve been so much better.
Instead we had to wait years for them to overproduce all the songs on Use Yr Illusion
sorry for getting off topic. i’m hyped about Fedor fighting tomorrow! can’t focus on work.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Nov 6, 2009 5:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Use Your Illusion I and II should have been just Use Your Illusion. If you take the best 12 songs out of the 30 they released you would have had another Appetite. Instead we got a bloated ego-massager.
by nottheface on Nov 6, 2009 6:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I dont know ??
It keeps glitching on me when I’m posting ??
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
by MMAuthority on Nov 6, 2009 4:19 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Ths is all I meant to say
Geezzz.. The guy gets sick with mono and now everyone assumes he’s going to walk away ??He quit wrestling (professional) because he hated the schedule (as most wrestlers end up burnt out from the road travel) and didn’t really agree with playing second fiddle when the guy knew he would be undoubtedly be the best in the place if it were real.. At least that’s his excuse.. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on this one..
Geezzz.. The guy gets sick with mono and now everyone assumes he’s going to walk away ??He quit wrestling (professional) because he hated the schedule (as most wrestlers end up burnt out from the road travel) and didn’t really agree with playing second fiddle when the guy knew he would be undoubtedly be the best in the place if it were real.. At least that’s his excuse.. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on this one..The NFL thing was more or less a trial by fire basis for him, much as his fighting has been. He wanted to test himself and see where he stood.. He wasn’t the best NFL guy.. big deal.. It’s apples to oranges in regard to comparing combat sports to pro football. He didn’t want to invest the time it was going to take to become fluent with NFL play. He is 32 years old.. The average shelf life of an NFL player is only 5-7 years. So he decided to say "no mas" and walk.. It’s his right.. he doesn’t owe us anything by that.No he gets sick and decides to put a big title fight on hold because of it and all of the sudden that translates into him being a quitter ??Brock asked for the Carwin fight.. I think that’s been lost in the shuffle. He also asked to fight in Nov, as he likes his holidays off and wants to be free to hunt during season. If he was contemplating to quit or walk away, why wouldn’t he just do it ?? He doesn’t need to "fake an illness or injury to do it" …I think there are too many conspiracy theorists grabbing at straws here.. The entire nation is overwhelmed with sickness at the moment. Between the H1N1, regular flu, pneumonia, etc.. I have had the flu 2 times in the last 3 months.. So have both my kids and wife.. Getting ill with mono is no different than getting a severe staph infection.. It’s debilitating and he now needs the time to recover..
8-29-09
Keith Jardine is now known as "The Dean of Antihistamine" because he is always sleeping early in fights..
by MMAuthority on Nov 6, 2009 4:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I do think the UFC shouldn’t feel entirely comfortable in it’s hold on Brock. I could definitely see Brock getting frustrated if he cleans out the HW division and can’t get a fight with Fedor. I think he’d leave for another org in a heartbeat.
by gzl5000 on Nov 6, 2009 4:26 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I actually made this prediction a while back. That is why I think that the UFC should give Brock the worst match ups possible in hopes of him losing. Not because I dislike him, but to keep him motivated.
by RyanHobbs on Nov 6, 2009 5:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Is there a bad matchup for Brock in the UFC? I I think Carwin might have the best chance and even he’s a huge dog. Nogueira would probably be next and I’d imagine Brock would still be about -220 or so there.
by ufc4 on Nov 6, 2009 5:28 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
I don’t really care if Lesnar stays or goes, but for the sake of the UFC, I think it might look bad if he just quits. I mean, the guy has one pro fight, walks into the UFC, wins the HW belt in his 4th fight, and then quits? That would suck. Though from what I’ve seen, I think Lesnar is enjoying fighting more than he ever did his previous professions. I don’t think there’s any fear he’ll leave just yet. Maybe after a run of title defenses he might get bored, but that’s a ways away.
I love me some Sexyama!
by pud333 on Nov 6, 2009 4:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Hahahahahahaha....
Oh man, I’m gonna spend the next 3 weeks re-reading all of the many posts around here about how good for MMA Brock Lesnar is. Heeeeheeeeheeee…..
WHEEEE!!!!
Don't believe a word I say, I don't train BJJ.
I blog at TangleBones - you should follow me on Twitter here.
by jemaleddin on Nov 6, 2009 4:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
This entire premise is pretty ridiculous. Lesnar is an amazing athlete who has been able to do a bunch of things. He did the WWE until he realized the wear and tear sucked, the lifestyle led to addiction, and he wanted an actual sport to compete in.
He barely missed the NFL 53 man roster. He chose not to play in Europe, because Lesnar is a homebody who wanted to do what he does now – live in the woods with his family.
He’s now able to live a simple life, have his house and acreage where he and his family lives, and he can train at his huge training center he built at his house. He’s competing in a sport that is a natural for wrestlers like him. He’s the champ. He’s making money.
The guy is sick. It’s not a conspiracy.
by Hardcharger on Nov 6, 2009 4:35 PM EST reply actions 14 recs
This is right on.
Lesnar has said repeatedly the reason he left the WWE is because it led him to leading a life style he didn’t want. I don’t get how that gets twisted into a negative all the time. None of the things that were causing him to be unhappy working for WWE is going on with him working with the UFC. So that comparison just doesn’t work.
Just BE.
by mattman73 on Nov 6, 2009 6:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Yep, honestly I can’t see how walking away from the pro wrestling lifestyle can be seen as a negative at all.
by rabrown on Nov 6, 2009 8:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If he goes...
whats next? Back to pro wrestling? Boxing? Truck Racing? Worlds Strongest Man? Fishing? Porn?
by ryanwk628 on Nov 6, 2009 4:42 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
He’s got the tattoo for the last option…
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on Nov 6, 2009 4:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
maybe after a losing streak
I can see this happening if he loses a bunch of times. But who in their right mind wouldn’t give it up by then? The guy is in it for the money, he’s said it himself. Big deal, a person should only do something as long as it’s going somewhere.
by Cajade on Nov 6, 2009 4:46 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
Yeah this article is rather presumptuous. I am a Minnesotan and have been exposed to much of the news of him being signed to the WWE right out of college, leaving and trying out for the Vikings, and now being with the UFC. Of all those things this is the one thing that he ultimately wanted to do. MMA wasn’t big enough to really get his attention when Vince McMahn (sp) waived his big paycheck in front of him.
If he was graduating from college in the last 2-3 years I am pretty sure he would have transitioned straight into MMA and would have probably popped up on this seasons TUF if he wasn’t already signed to a major promotion…Could you imagine him being in the house with the rest of the heavyweights and Page’s antics?
by YoungGun on Nov 6, 2009 4:47 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
He probably would have jammed Rampage into a lighting fixture headfirst by this point.
Keep firing Assholes!
I am the King of Rome, and am above grammar. -Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
by Ubernoober on Nov 6, 2009 5:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Zach’s take on this is way off the mark, he makes several points that simply aren’t true and is reaching like many people to make something out of an illness that’s simply isn’t there.
Brock left the WWE because it was taking a toll on him physically and mentally, he’s seen what it’s done to other guys and decided that it’s better to leave before he ended up self destructing like many other wrestlers have.
Brock making the NFL was always a long shot to say the least, you just can’t jump from wrestling and think you can make an NFL roster that was always a reach.
Also to try and make more out of Brock’s Japan wrestling run than it is also shows how desperate to make his points Zach is. Brock was never going to move to Japan and make a career out of fighting away from his home for any extended period of time that was simpy a temporary business decision nothing more.
Brock is sick, has been for weeks now and it’s pretty serious people need to stop with the conspiracy theories and other crap. I’ve said this before but it has to be repeatedly mma fans are becoming more like WWE marks in the way they react and it’s scary the last thing we want is to go down that path because it ain’t pretty.
by Raker on Nov 6, 2009 4:57 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
we get it nate you dont like lesnar but this is really reaching. he’s too sick to train so that means hes going to leave the ufc? and to say hes walked away from everything else is pretty presumptuous
by brazary on Nov 6, 2009 5:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
1) I love having Lesnar in the UFC
he’s great for traffic.
2) Zach Arnold wrote the article, I posted it to get some conversation going. Not to endorse it.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Nov 6, 2009 5:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I dont know
I dont understand people, he came to the sport and did a hell of a lot better then what people thought he would. He can fight but sucks at interviews. But I like the guy, after his fights you dont hear from him. Unlike a lot of these clowns posting on twitter and doing a ton of interviews talking how they cant win until they get big..blablabla I just dont understand why people want him gone. He is one of my faveriot fighters due to him not talking crap all the time or doing gay interviews.. he is a simple guy living his life and says what he feels.
by gecko071980 on Nov 6, 2009 5:01 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I don’t get offended about his interviews either…Same with Silva or most people that everyone gets all offended about. Some people take what people say too seriously. I think I would be much like Lesnar or silva if I was being interviewed. I would just start making up some of the most outlandish statements myself if I am being asked the same questions over and over. Sometimes its fun to mess with people, especially if they’re too wrapped up in getting your statement to realize you’re f*cking with them.
by YoungGun on Nov 6, 2009 5:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Its not even that, the guy just beat Mir and he was talking smack 3 month leading up to this and he dominated him, I would have been freaking out.. Yeah he is the champ, so what does that mean he cant be himself? Everyone is so fast to point out what he did wrong but they would be no better. I like GSP but man i could shoot myself if everyone talked like him.
by gecko071980 on Nov 6, 2009 5:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
If UFC has to worry about Brock quitting on them while he’s sick, then I bet they also have to worry about GSP calling it quits while nursing his groin injury, Silva retiring while deciding whether to have an operation or not, Lyoto hanging up the gloves because he hurt his hand fighting Shogun or Penn saying ‘Aloha’ for keeps because he’s bored.
Doesn’t sound very likely, does it?
by lhasafi on Nov 6, 2009 5:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
I think they need to worry
about Anderson and B.J. drifting away for sure.
No one was worried about Rampage leaving for movie stardom and here we are.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
by Kid Nate on Nov 6, 2009 5:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Ok, you got me there. Anderson has basically been screamin “I’m bored” for the last two years or something and if Penn beats Sanchez, the only thing he has left is getting GSP for the third time – which we know won’t happen.
Then again, I’m not going to cry a tear for either of them.
by lhasafi on Nov 6, 2009 5:20 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
I got $1,000 that says Rampage fights next year if anyone is interested.
by ufc4 on Nov 6, 2009 5:36 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs
I’m sorry but there is some serious fail up there:
The reported reason for Lesnar’s prolonged absence is that he is suffering not from the swine flu but from mono and that he can’t train.
Well, um, maybe he just has mono. If you think he’s faking it or covering up some other injury then just come out and say it.
He’s UFC’s biggest star (Georges St. Pierre is #2) and the promotion can’t afford to lose him.
The UFC was doing fine before it signed Lesnar. It will do fine without him. He’s a big star but there will be others in the sport.
That’s what happens when you put all of your eggs into his basket.
WTF does this mean? How did the UFC put all their eggs in one basket? The UFC has more stars than any MMA company on Earth. Brock is the biggest but it’s clearly not an EliteXC-Kimbo situation.
by MMAEruption on Nov 6, 2009 5:25 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Spot on. UFC has already broken the PPV buys record that they set last year, despite Lesnar only fighting once compared to three times last year.
by rabrown on Nov 6, 2009 6:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
This article=FAIL
Brock got CUT from an NFL team. Like thousands of other guys.
Zach Arnold come across like someone who doesn’t follow football. And an idiot.
by SidHartman on Nov 6, 2009 5:27 PM EST reply actions 3 recs
agreed
rarely do I see articles on this site that I roll my eyes at, but this one was bad.
He did get bored with wrestling (and what he did in Japan played a part in that boredom) trying to find a real sport to compete in was what drove him to leave.
He didn’t walk away from a promising NFL career.
And even if he was the type to get bored after success, he still isn’t quite on that level in UFC yet. He still has plenty of challenges ahead
by JeremyShane on Nov 6, 2009 5:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Brock is a psychotic compeditor who gets a thrill out of beating the shit out of smaller people. Where else is he going to do that?
Keep firing Assholes!
I am the King of Rome, and am above grammar. -Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor
by Ubernoober on Nov 6, 2009 5:48 PM EST reply actions 0 recs
High School
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by themachiavellian on Nov 6, 2009 8:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs
Does he get actually get paid to write this crap? One bout of conformed illness and one jackass blogger calling the guy a quitter and Bloody Elbow deems it as something significant.
by KahilBS_Marshal on Nov 6, 2009 11:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

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