A 46-Year-Old Rookie
by E. Spencer Kyte on Dec 16, 2009 3:04 PM EST
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PrintStrikeforce: Evolution takes the stage on Saturday, but in my latest effort from Heavy.com, it's the January show tentatively scheduled for Miami that has my interest. Specifically, the debut of 46-year-old former football star Herschel Walker.
There is no denying that the former Heisman Trophy winner, Pro Bowler and two-time Superstars champion (remember Superstars on ABC?) was and still is a tremendous athlete, but one question I can't get out of my head is this:
I just wonder if people would be as quick to accept a 46-year-old Tae Kwon Do black belt with zero experience stepping into the cage if his name wasn’t Herschel Walker.
There is a lot more to it than that - obviously - and I think just about every angle is covered, from his training program with Bob Cook at American Kickboxing Academy to being the same age as Randy Couture.
Herschel Walker is coming to Mixed Martial Arts.
How it turns out is still to be determined.
The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Bloody Elbow readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Bloody Elbow editors or staff.
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Until I see someone from the Athletic Commission under which Mr. Walker has to fight consulting a medical professional about the dangers of allowing someone with his mental health issues fight I won’t feel good about him being allowed to fight.
Mr. Walker even said this in a recent interview:
You know what is strange? I didn’t want to mention my age. Like I said, I have these multiple personalities so that 25 year old that is inside is doing this fighting.
I wonder if that 25 year old alter he is referring to is going to be safe to fight? I mean how do you evaluate an “alter” to know if they are safe to fight?
Just BE.
Is the 25-year old alter a Black Belt in TKD and a phenomenal athlete or is that the 46-year-old personality, while the 25-year-old is a lazy, couch potato?
So many questions…
by E. Spencer Kyte on Dec 16, 2009 4:25 PM EST up reply actions
“I just wonder if people would be as quick to accept a 46-year-old Tae Kwon Do black belt with zero experience stepping into the cage if his name wasn’t Herschel Walker.”
…
I think the fact that his name is associated to his phenominal athletic ability makes this a moot point.
How about saying that a heisman trophy winner with a black belt is actually a pretty impressive resume.
by Beyondadrenalin on Dec 16, 2009 4:12 PM EST reply actions
I did say he’s a phenomenal athlete, a couple times in the piece, actually.
That said, there are probably a lot of 46-year0old black belts out there who are damn good athletes, but I don’t see anyone lining up to have them showcased on a major promotion’s show…
Additionally, it’s been a number of years since we’ve witnessed his athletic ability, so who knows if he’s still a tremendous athlete?
by E. Spencer Kyte on Dec 16, 2009 4:27 PM EST up reply actions
I think you're just trying to set a precedent for exclusion of former football stars.
You know that a 70 year old Mike Ditka will clean out the entire heavyweight division if he chooses to. And it just burns you up, don’t it?
No kidding , is this a recent photo ? At the risk of sounding gay for complimenting the physique of giant black man , I still have to say damn he looks in great shape ! He doesn’t even look old , Coleman is very muscular but you can see he’s OLD . But you can’t really say that about this dude.
I say to the naysayers let the man fight , he won’t die from one mma match .
Noe shame in wanting to be in that shape when you are 50.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Dec 17, 2009 2:50 AM EST up reply actions
Jesus Christ, if Strikeforce signed Timothy McVeigh to a 4-fight deal Supremacy would champion it.
Oh, and Herschel Walker is 47, turning 48 in March.
This should be great……..
Jesus Christ, if Strikeforce signed Timothy McVeigh to a 4-fight deal Supremacy would champion it.
First of all, McVeigh is dead. As far as I know, only MMA-ELO is interested in promoting dead people.
Second of all, do you seriously think that it’s fair to compare Herschel Walker to Timothy McVeigh?
Twitter @brettcjones
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
If Timothy McVeigh signed with Strikeforce I would champion it
Any man that can come back from the dead after being punished for his crimes deserves a second chance.
But seriously, how do you compare a ex-football player to a man that murdered 168 people. 168!
LOL
Sad attempt. You can do MUCH better than this.
by MMASuPreMaCy on Dec 16, 2009 7:51 PM EST up reply actions
I thought it was pretty good.
"I’m sorry. I didn’t drink last night, so I’m not funny today."
-Sakuraba
I expect better, but then again, I’ve heard a lot of them around here. Tim McVeigh though???
by MMASuPreMaCy on Dec 17, 2009 2:51 AM EST up reply actions
may be the first time I've rec'd a SuP comment
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Dec 17, 2009 4:20 PM EST up reply actions
I hear that a lot, followed by I need to go take a shower now, I feel dirty.
=)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Dec 18, 2009 6:36 PM EST up reply actions
hey man
I might disagree with you, but at least I don’t take a shit on my floor and then start hurling it your way haha
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Dec 18, 2009 6:44 PM EST up reply actions
In fairness
That wasn’t actually a comment
The only thing Jon Jones does better than Matt Hamill is hear.
(And smash faces)
ha
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Dec 18, 2009 8:06 PM EST up reply actions
He ain’t a rookie in being a Muthafuckin’ G
We're just a million little gods causin' rain storms, turning every good thing to rust.
by Anthony Pace on Dec 17, 2009 4:20 PM EST reply actions 2 recs
Go Dawgs...
It’s not just that he is a 46 year athletic man who (a) was a Heisman trophy winner, and (b) has a black belt inboth tae kwon do and kenpo—which, would be a rare and odd enough combination in the first place—but rather that he is also (c ) widely regarded as one of the best college (and arguably professional) running backs ever to play football, (d) a man who has been doing hundreds/thousands of push-ups and sit ups a day for the better part of 30 years, (e) a man who has been on an Olympic bobsled team, (f) a man who at one point had Olympic foot speed, and (g) someone who is training with one of the better camps in MMA. So, yes, if some other 46 year old not named Hershel Walker happens to have properties (a) through (f), I would probably be interested in seeing what kind of strategy the charitable old bastard could put together for a few professional fights. But that’s just me. I am shameless dawg fan at heart….
*Plus, like Robert Downey Sr said, “he ain’t a rookie in being a Muthafuckin’ G”—easily one of the best lines I have seen on BE!
"Der freie Mensch ist Krieger" -- Nietzsche
True, Walker has experience in TaeKwonDo but MMA has fighters that are well versed in all areas. If you’re one dimensional, you’ll get exposed quick. I’m sure they’ll give him a lackluster opponent first to draw in viewers.
I do hope he succeeds tho…
Favorite Blogs:
www.spongereport.com
www.yardbarker.com
www.milehighreport.com
www.bleacherreport.com
War Herschel!
Every Interview I have seen of his makes me a big fan. He is such a genuine and nice human being who just wants to compete so I say go for it.
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