I Don't Know Where Herschel Walker Goes From Here, But I'll Certainly Be Watching

Herschel Walker’s story is one filled with twists, turns, surprises, and unexpected outcomes. Walker recently competed for the second time as a professional Mixed Martial Artist, dismantling Scott Carson at Strikeforce “Diaz vs. Cyborg”. Always humble, Walker recently gave both fans and detractors a look inside of his mentality as he continues his MMA excursion.

Here are some of the highlights from the “Diaz vs. Cyborg” post-fight press conference, courtesy of the one and only Sherdog, where Walker said the following: “I’m older, and this is a young person’s sport. If I can help people recognize the sport, that’s great… Everybody talks about my age. Let’s put that to rest… I don’t need to prove anything.”

I’m lucky enough to know someone that trains with Walker personally, and he goes on and on about how the former NFL great has always been a consummate professional that is both eager to learn and incredibly humble in spite of the fact that he’s accomplished so much as a multi-sport athlete. Walker’s payday for his recent fight as well as the fact that he donated the entire purse of his first fight to charity is pretty much concrete proof that Walker is only doing this for the love of the sport.

I know some MMA diehards will never accept an older crossover athlete as a high-profile MMA fighter, but is it really so bad that Walker is an ambassador to the sport? He certainly speaks of the sport with the utmost respect and professionalism, and he’s not afraid to defend the sport either.

Personally, I respect Walker a whole lot and I’m actually looking forward to seeing him continue this MMA excursion. I think Walker’s continued presence on Strikeforce cards does more good than harm, just look at the numbers for “Diaz vs. Cyborg”. It’s debatable how big of a piece of the puzzle Walker was in making that show a success, but it’s definitely not debatable that the show was a big success in all areas, from gate receipts to TV ratings.

Walker isn’t even half-bad as a fighter, although like any newcomer he’s still relatively green. But there’s some polish around all those rough edges, and Walker trains with one of the best MMA camps in the world. There’s a reason more and more people are wondering “what could have been” when it comes to Walker and MMA: he’s shown a lot of explosiveness and ferocity in his short time inside a cage, despite the fact that he’s competing far past the point where most professional athletes head home and call it a career. And I’m actually not afraid at all to jump onto that particular bandwagon: I think if Walker had gotten into this sport fifteen or so years ago, back when the UFC first started entering into the mainstream, he could have been a huge, nearly-unstoppable star.

In the here and now, however, I’m just enjoying the ride, however short it may be, when it comes to Herschel Walker’s MMA career. I enjoy watching him fight, I immensely respect his ability to remain classy and humble, and I hope he fights a couple more times and continues to win in dominating fashion. I’ll say it loudly and proudly: I’m a fan of Herschel Walker, and I wish him the best.

And what about you, fans and friends? What’s your opinion of Herschel Walker as he continues this excursion into Mixed Martial Arts? Has your opinion changed at all since he first debuted, and why or why not?