Herschel Walker, the NFL great and former Olympian is giving the sport of mixed martial arts a serious go. After earning a stoppage win in his MMA debut over Greg Nagy, Walker proclaimed that he would take his time and evaluate things further. The first fight was a proof of concept, he wanted to show the world he could compete in this sport that he proclaimed he enjoyed, and it also served as a way to promote said sport. At Strikeforce: Diaz Vs Cyborg in San Jose, CA, he improved to 2-0 after beating Scott Carson, a veteran of the sport who was a good matchup, despite being inactive for nearly a decade. Both fighters had only had one fight in the last nine years, I'd say it was fair.
Walker took the center of the cage and then some to start, rushing Carson and shrugging off a high kick that glanced off an arm. He rushed Carson into the cage and caught him with a good left hook before securing the quick takedown. Carson kicked upward and Walker proceeded a little more carefully from here on out, getting a grip and going back to the methodical working we all saw when he took on Greg Nagy in his debut. Carson rolled and Walker took his back, peppering his face with looping punches from above. Carson offers no defense at this point and it's just one man beating on another for about a minute. Jump for more.
Eventually, Carson worked his way to the feet and Walker wasn't having any of it - he lifts him up and puts Carson back on his knees again, taking his back. Two minutes in, and Herschel is throwing knees into Carson's midsection and looping punches under and into his chin from below. They scramble, and Carson is looking to get some kind of guard in place, but Walker stands. Carson moved to the cage to use it to get up and it's a mistake as Walker swarms and connects with the left that folds him back onto the ground. Referee Dan Stell puts himself in between the two as Carson collapses in an awkward position while Walker winds up for more.
Thus, at the 3:13 mark in the first round, Herschel Walker improved his record to 2-0 in mixed martial arts, against entry-level competition. CompuStrike rolls some numbers across the screen and he's credited with one takedown (the slam), with 69% of his strikes thrown landed (80% standing, 68% ground). The post-fight interview saw Walker saying he was going to focus on MMA, as opposed to taking another run at American Football (duh), so it looks as though we're in for another fight.
Walker's fight purse always goes to his various charities, and he probably will never be in title contention, though it really is fun to watch him fight. At 48, he appears to be in great physical shape and is a solid ambassador for MMA, one of the world's fastest growing sports. Some folks viewed this fight as a freakshow fight, but I personally only see it as such because it was a 1-0 fighter getting a main card slot - if you factor in how much he might do with reeling on more viewers, it's something I'm willing to accept at this point.
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