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Monday, September 21, 2009
NFL great Herschel Walker, 47, signs MMA deal
Two-time NFL Pro Bowler and 1982 Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker has signed a deal the mixed-martial-arts promotion Strikeforce and will make his pro MMA debut sometime in early 2010, the organization today announced.
Walker is 47 years old, which isn’t exactly working in his favor.
Also not working in his favor? Walker has no professional fighting experience, though Strikeforce executives say the famed running back holds a fifth degree black belt in the martial art Tae Kwon Do.
Still, from a marketing standpoint, it’s not a bad move for Strikeforce, which recently signed a deal to air quarterly shows on CBS (with the rest of its events airing on Showtime). Walker’s name alone should pull in some viewers and help ticket sales. Many major outlets, including ESPN, and the MMA media covered the story today, so it’s also providing the organization some publicity.
However, Walker isn’t anywhere ready for the sport’s top fighters, and Strikeforce officials will have to work diligently (and strategically) to find an opponent that provides a fair match-up while also maintaining some sense of legitimacy.
Walker isn’t the only former NFL player to try MMA. Four players (including former No. 1 draft pick Marcus Jones) appear on the current 10th season of the UFC’s reality show, “The Ultimate Fighter,” on Spike TV And Others such as former Cincinnati Bengal Michael Westbrook and Indianapolis Colt Rex Richards have actually had pretty successful careers.
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