Nov. 12 in New York?Well, Im doing the USADA testing process now. I

MARSEILLE, France -- Like fellow underdog Iceland before it, Wales learned the hard lesson that a team needs more than just an abundance of guts and heart to succeed at the pointy end of a major tournament.An abundance of quality is needed, too. In the end, Wales simply didnt have enough of it against Portugal in the European Championship semifinal.Gareth Bale, Wales sole superstar and the worlds most expensive player, tried as hard as he could but lost his battle against his Real Madrid teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo.Here are 5 things to know about the semifinal that Portugal won 2-0 in Lyon:---TOUGH FINALPortugals road to the final has been anything but convincing. Wales is the first team it beat in regular time.Germany or France, depending on which of them wins their semifinal on Thursday, have far more quality than Wales. Having put itself two goals ahead, Portugal was able to control the second half against the Welsh. Wales manager Chris Coleman didnt have players coming off the bench who could make a difference.France and Germany do.Unless Ronaldo can do something special, Portugal could get found out in the final, just as Wales was in the semifinal.---RAMSEY MISSEDWales without midfielder Aaron Ramsey was like a car with a misfiring cylinder: It lacked oomph.Suspended from the semifinal for yellow cards in the previous rounds, the Arsenal midfielders absence deprived the Welsh of their most prolific passer and goal-creator at Euro 2016.And it showed.Without his attacking runs and slinky passes from midfield, Wales struggled to capitalize on the absence through injury of Portugals best defender, Real Madrids Pepe, or place any lasting pressure on his 34-year-old replacement at center back, Bruno Alves.Andy King, Ramseys replacement who plays for Premier League winners Leicester City, worked hard from box-to-box, taking turns with Liverpools Joe Allen to drop back deep but also haring forward when opportunities presented themselves.But they were too few and far between.---BALLON DORHad Bale carried Wales to its first ever major tournament final, having already won the Champions League again with Real Madrid this season, the 26-year-old could have become a real contender to break Lionel Messi and Ronaldos stranglehold on the world player of the year award that they have hogged without interruption since Kaka won in 2007.As historic as getting Wales to the semifinal was, it surely wont be enough.Ronaldo could now have a lock on Ballon dOr voters should he carry Portugal to victory in the final on Sunday.----RONALDO DELIVERSCometh the hour, cometh the three-time world player of the year.From the outset, Ronaldo looked determined to make his mark against Wales. His last -- and only -- major final with Portugal ended badly, with him in tears after the team lost to Greece at Euro 2004.He clearly wants a second chance.For a player of his stature, Ronaldo has had surprisingly few standout matches at his seven major tournaments with Portugal, including at Euro 2016.In the 2004 semifinals, he scored the opening goal against the Netherlands. At Euro 2012, he scored both goals in a 2-1 win again against the Netherlands to put Portugal in the quarterfinals and then scored the only goal in a 1-0 win against the Czech Republic to put Portugal in the semifinals.At Euro 2016 before Wednesday, hed scored twice in a 3-3 group stage draw with Hungary.---BALE DOESNTBale was guilty of trying too hard against Portugal. But that was also out of necessity.In trying to carve out goal-scoring opportunities and make things happen for Wales, the forward dropped back too often into midfield and that blunted some of his cutting edge.Had Wales had more players of his quality, Bale could have spent more time up front, waiting for crosses and passes like Ronaldo did. Instead, Bale tried doing a lot of the work himself.A trick obviously practiced by Wales on the training ground almost paid off in the 18th minute, when instead of hoofing a corner into the box, the ball was passed for Bale to run onto. But his shot was wide.Bale also repeatedly used his speed to test Portugals defenses, notably outsprinting Ronaldo in the first half to fire a cross from the right wing that King failed to reach.---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester Jamie Vardy England Jersey . 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On Sept. 2, UFC legend Georges St-Pierre?will make his long-awaited return to face-smashing in Kickboxer: Vengeance, a remake of the 1989 B-plus-movie classic starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.This time around, Van Damme plays Master Durand, a charismatic trainer who helps Kurt Sloane (newcomer Alain Moussi) avenge his brothers death at the hands of Tong Po, a merciless, undefeated fighter played by former WWE star turned actor Dave Bautista.MMA pros Gina Carano, Cain Velasquez and Fabricio Werdum also feature prominently in the film, which already has a sequel in the can, due next year, with a cast that includes UFCs Paige VanZant, Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho and boxing legend Mike Tyson.We caught up with GSP to chat about his role in the film, his budding acting career and the sport that continues to call his name.You play Sloanes hard-drinking pal Kavi, a comedic role that requires some acting chops. What was the experience like?It was a great experience. I take acting classes to be more well-prepared because acting is like fighting. When Im fighting, I train and spar with guys that are like my opponents. When Im acting, I have sparring partners, so to speak, that help me prepare for the scene. There are a lot of similarities between acting and fighting. Acting is a new thing for me, so I have a white-belt mentality and I think I have a lot to learn. I try to sponge as much as I can when Im on the set.Are you a fan of the original Kickboxer?Absolutely, Im a huge fan, and Im also a huge fan of Jean-Claude. Hes one of the reasons why I do what a do for a living. Hes a hero of mine. Im from Quebec, where we speak French, and Jean-Claude is a Belgian guy, The Muscles from Brussels, and at the time he was the biggest movie star where Im from. To have a fight scene with him is a dream come true.Thats right, you got to fight Van Damme, who holds a second-degree black belt in Shotokan and had a pretty solid fighting career before becoming an action star. What was it like to fight your hero in a movie?It was a dream come true to fight my idol. It was just amazing. I couldnt believe it. And Jean-Claude was very nice; he helped me to do great things to make the fight scene memorable. I remember he told me, A fight scene is great and will be remembered not only because of the action, but because of the special moments, like wearing a hat. [Van Damme dons a fedora in their fight scene.] I thought that was very interesting. Hes a very charismatic man.At his peak, how do you think Van Damme wouldve faired in UFC?Look, the truth is, to be an actor or fighter, it takes a lot of work. If he would have put his effort and energy into being a fighter, I think he could have done well. But he chose the route of being an actor, and it paid off very well; hes a Hollywood superstar.If you and Van Damme were to have squared off in the octagon while in your primes, whod come out on top?[Laughs] I dont know. Thats a lot of ifs. Who knows, if I was born at the same time as him, when UFC didnt exist, I mightve been an actor. Its hard to say.Did you ask him to do his famed leg-splits-over-chairs thing?[Laughs] I didnt ask him to do that, but he still has very good legs. Theyre very flexible. I asked him for some advice on how to stretch, to get a little bit of his dexterity. He has amazing legs.You had a whole bunch of colorful characters in Thailand -- Bautista, Carano, Velasquez, Fabricio. Whats your best story from the production?The highlight for me was getting my butt kicked by Jean-Claude. But one night, Jean-Claude took me out to eat, and I ate like a pig -- full, full, full. Afterwards, we went to a foot-massage place. We sat down in chairs -- me, Jean-Claude and his friend, the gentleman who played Tong Po in the first Kickboxer -- and a masseuse comes with a stick to massage our feet. And we were supposed to have a 30-minute massage, but we ended up passing out in our chairs for two hours! When we finally woke up, we were so relaxed. But then we took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel, and we almost got hit by a car five different times. That tuk-tuk stressed me out so bad, I wanted another massage.This is your second sizeable role in a legit movie, following Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Is acting your next career?Yeah, I really love it. Its very fun for me. And I want to learn. Im not the kind of guy who goes on set and says, You know who I am? Let me show you how its done. No, this is something that is completely different.dddddddddddd Im ready to learn and sponge as much as I can when Im on the set to increase my acting skill.Unlike fighters, actors have a union, or Screen Actors Guild, to protect them. But recently, an effort to unionize fighters was announced by an organization called Professional Fighters Association. What do you think of that effort and of fighters unionizing in general?Yeah, I heard that. In every sport, they have a union -- baseball, hockey. And its the next step in MMA. I dont think its an if -- it will happen. Its just a matter of time. Thats what I believe.The UFC recently came under new ownership. I know youre enjoying acting, but have you been in contact with any members of WME-IMG in regards to a potential comeback?Yeah, I texted Dana White when the sale got announced, and I told him, congratulations. A lot of guys are angry or jealous. But Dana White, what he did for the sport is amazing. Hes the best promoter in the world. Love him, hate him, but dont ignore him. This guy is amazing, the best pound-for-pound promoter of all time.We had some problems -- he says stuff, and I dont always agree with him, he doesnt always agree with me. But I would not have my quality of life and wealth if it were not for Dana White and the job hes done to promote the industry. Of course, he works for his interests, and as fighters we have to work for our interests, but I congratulate him because it was a masterful business move for him. Thats the goal -- when you buy something, you want to raise the bar and sell it. Im very happy for him and Lorenzo [Fertitta].Right, but everybody wants to know about your comeback. Where are you with that?Mentally, Im ready to go. I have my agents. I put my cards on the table; now theyre going to talk to the new owner pretty soon. So well have some news pretty soon. I know there are a lot of rumors, but were waiting to see what will happen.Tyron Woodley has been vocal in wanting to fight you. He says youve expressed interest in that as well, via text. Do you want to fight Woodley?Yeah, Ill fight him, no problem. I want to fight him, no problem. There are a lot of guys calling me out.Look, Im not chickening out. The problem is this: There are fights that I believe are good for me, that can elevate me, and there are fights that cannot elevate me. Some guys are like, Youre ducking. Im not ducking nobody. Im taking a fight that is good for me. There are fights that are good, fights that are not good. Tyron Woodley is a very good fight for me. Nick Diaz is a very good fight for me. Some guys call me out -- a lot of guys call me out.For example, BJ Penn, when he called me out. Im not really interested in fighting BJ Penn because I fought him two times, and hes a very dangerous fighter. Hes incredibly dangerous and incredibly skilled. And for me, I think its an unnecessary risk to take because if I win, I win nothing much -- it doesnt really elevate me more than I am now. Fighting is not about whos got the biggest balls. You fight to elevate yourself. What will a win bring you? And what will be the consequence of a loss? Thats my managers job to [figure out]. And I trust them very well.Could you be ready to fight by UFC 205 on Nov. 12 in New York?Well, Im doing the USADA testing process now. I think I do have a four-month mandatory testing to do before Im eligible to fight. And because Ive been very vocal about performance-enhancing drugs, I dont want a free pass. The last thing I want is to have an exemption, so people will say, Oh, he talks about PEDs, but he has an exemption himself. It makes me look bad, for my brand, for the person I am. So, Im in the program right now, but its four months. So I have to wait four months, unfortunately.The UFCs anti-doping program has now been in effect for more than one full year. What are your thoughts on the effectiveness of the program?Its good. A lot of guys got caught. Its not perfect, but its a lot better than it was.Are you in fighting shape now, or is Hollywood shape different than fighting shape?Im in fighting shape when I have a fight, but Im always in shape. Im just not in perfect, exact fighting shape as I would be for a fight. But Im in good shape. Im always in good shape. Im training, so to be in fighting shape wont take that long. In the snap of a finger, Ill be there. ' ' '