Strikeforce Miami: Herschel Walker: “One for the Ages”

He was never one to follow a conventional game plan when piling up the rushing yards and touchdowns as a Georgia Bulldog, or as a member of one of the five professional football teams that he was associated with.

His training regimen consisted mostly of sit-ups and push-ups, along with consuming one main meal per day; a routine that some may call in this age of technology...unconventional.

For Herschel Walker, some things change, but his unconventional habits stay very much the same.

While his first professional career was full of eccentric measures, there weren’t many that saw it coming when the long-time martial arts practitioner announced that he would embark on a new career path. It was Sept. 2009 when he made it official to join the heavyweight ranks for the San Jose-based Strikeforce organization.

While many knew of Walker’s love for Taekwondo and Karate, it was not expected how eager he was to jump in the ring full-time at the age of 47.

His first trip inside the Strikeforce cage will happen Jan. 30th against relatively unknown Greg Nagy (1-1). It is not known exactly what strategy Walker will take, however it is expected that he will choose to stand and trade with his inexperienced opponent (Nagy has one TKO victory and one decision loss).

Much of that speculation comes from his 12-week training camp at the high-profile American Kickboxing Academy, a place that is known to turn amateurs into veterans in short amounts of time.

If Walker is able to come out, execute his strategy, and come away with the victory, he will gain respect from many in the MMA and sports world. He will continue to have his doubters, but in his mind he would have taken the next step in becoming a legitimate mixed martial artist.

At this point in his career, that may be all that matters to such an accomplished athlete of his stature.

There are no belts on the line or in the near future for Walker as he transitions to the cage. As the fans pack in to see the latest multi-sport athlete take his turn as an MMA fighter, it is his effort and desire that will mean the most.

A victory would be appropriate; however, after already announcing that his entire fight purse will be donated to charity, it is the competition of the sport that obviously means the most to him as well.