Herschel Walker's MMA debut date set; no opponent yet

[Clark Kent]

12-04-2009 02:00 PM:

Strikeforce announced today that Herschel Walker will make his debut on Jan. 30 in Sunrise, Fla. Walker, who will be 47 at the time of the bout, recently started training mixed martial arts after winning the Heisman trophy, a career as an NFL running back, a stint as an Olympic bobsledder, and a fifth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

He has been training at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, home to such top fighters as Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch and most helpful for the heavyweight Walker, Cain Velasquez. No opponent has been set yet for this bout that will air on Showtime.

It's easy to dismiss Walker as too old to do anything in the cage, or call him disgusting, as UFC president Dana White did. But Walker has said that he isn't fighting just for himself. He's fighting for the old guys:

It’s not about the money. I love the sport. Love to compete,And for all the old guys who don’t think that they can do it anymore, I’m living proof if you get your butt off the couch and start working out, you can do it. It ain’t gonna fall out of the sky and hit you on the head, you gotta do something about it.

​

Nick Diaz and Cristiane Cyborg will also fight on this Jan. 30 card, though their opponents have also not been announced. Hopefully, Diaz will have a rematch with the newly signed Strikeforce fighter KJ Noons. Barring any injury problems, Cyborg will likely face Marloes Coenen.



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Cagewriter is an MMA blog edited by Steve Cofield.