Is Herschel Walker An Embarrassment To MMA? |
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DCRage
Representin' The MA's
Career record: 453-339
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Maryland
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WEC veteran Keith Berry thinks so. "I'd love to fight Herschel Walker, but they'd probably never give me that fight because they only want to give him the wins. I think sometimes Strikeforce they build up these guys like Herschel Walker, like the last fight I saw him in, he fought a guy that was 1-1 and he just looked bad. I just thought he looked really bad, and his hands were so stiff and I just thought if I gave him one good overhand right, he would just go down. I saw his fight and it was embarrassing. A regular guy, a journeyman could smash him. That's just my opinion." Berry said he could try to make the fight happen if he beats Brett Cooper this weekend in California.
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Post #1 11/16/10 5:49:52PM
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Gannon
MMA Regular
Career record: 1019-554
Season: 17-7 (#1011)
Location: Lakewood Colorado
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God bless Herschel Walker, but i rather see an article on him in muscle and fitness. Strikeforce needs to keep there limited card space to legit high level fighters in my opinion.
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Post #2 11/16/10 6:34:24PM
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Captain Doctor
Career record: 475-352
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: San Diego
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If you have a name like Walker fighting for you then you put him on the televised card. it would be stupid not to. I have no problem with Walker fighting. He seems very realistic and It's encouraging to see 50 yr old man in such good shape. People are acting like he should be fighting more experienced fighters....why? he's 1-0 right now.
btw, i'm not responding to anyone here...i read the article and all of the comments under it. Lots of dumb comments.
Folks that don't want to see an old man fight shouldn't watch.
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Eddie Would Throw
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Post #3 11/16/10 7:01:00PM
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hate4thestate
In Full Mount
Career record: 435-312
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Kokomo, IN
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Posted by MaxOne
If you have a name like Walker fighting for you then you put him on the televised card. it would be stupid not to. I have no problem with Walker fighting. He seems very realistic and It's encouraging to see 50 yr old man in such good shape. People are acting like he should be fighting more experienced fighters....why? he's 1-0 right now.
btw, i'm not responding to anyone here...i read the article and all of the comments under it. Lots of dumb comments.
Folks that don't want to see an old man fight shouldn't watch.
It's not that I care if he is on the card or not it is when "real" fighters are pushed to the undercard that makes me mad. Riggs vs Heiron for example. I'd mich rather see established fighters fight then a Jose Canseco or Herschel Walker.
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Post #4 11/16/10 8:02:21PM
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BlueSkiesBurn
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 490-347
Season: 0-0 (#-)
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Posted by hate4thestate
It's not that I care if he is on the card or not it is when "real" fighters are pushed to the undercard that makes me mad. Riggs vs Heiron for example. I'd mich rather see established fighters fight then a Jose Canseco or Herschel Walker.
Junior Dos Santos was an unestablished fighter when he stepped in to take on Fabricio Werdum at UFC 90.
Brock Lesnar was certainly an unestablished fighter when he took on Frank Mir at UFC 81.
I'm not saying that Walker will become the next Strikeforce HW champ, but you never know.
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Post #5 11/16/10 8:40:23PM
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submissionartist1
KING of the COMPOUND
Career record: 359-279
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: north west NJ
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Posted by Gannon
God bless Herschel Walker, but i rather see an article on him in muscle and fitness. Strikeforce needs to keep there limited card space to legit high level fighters in my opinion.
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Post #6 11/16/10 10:23:36PM
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Twenty20Dollars
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 847-533
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location:
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Was Kimbo Slice an embarrassment?
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Post #7 11/17/10 1:09:34AM
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hate4thestate
In Full Mount
Career record: 435-312
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: Kokomo, IN
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Kimbo Slice was an embarrassment.....
I don't know what this has to do with Strikeforce or Herschel Walker tho. Kimbo Slice is a completely different situation.
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Post #8 11/17/10 1:27:50AM
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Twenty20Dollars
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 847-533
Season: 0-0 (#-)
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I think the situations are pretty similar.
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Post #9 11/17/10 2:08:53AM
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BlueSkiesBurn
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 490-347
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location:
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Posted by Twenty20Dollars
I think the situations are pretty similar.
Actually, if anything, both you and hate4thestate are a bit off.
Kimbo was primarily a street-brawler with no real combat experience other than what you saw on YouTube.
Walker, while he may not have the MMA experience, actually has been studying the arts for quite some time.
The only similarity that I see is that they gave Walker a shot at MMA because of his name. Other than that, the two are completely separate. Walker has been practicing the arts his whole life and it was a part of his fitness regiment as an athlete. I fail to see how a brawler who fought in backyard street fights compares to an actual martial artist.
Like I said, Walker probably wouldn't have gotten the shot in SF if it hadn't been for his fame as a football player, however, if, and it's a big if, he were a nobody and had decided to try his hand at MMA at this stage in his life, some promotion would have undoubtedly given him a shot because of his martial arts pedigree.
Walker isn't some 50 year jerk-off trying MMA because he think it looks cool. We are talking about an elite athlete with extensive training in martial arts. Walker knows what he's doing and I think he's paced himself appropriately.
More importantly, this whole "embarrassment to MMA" thing pisses me off. I'm not really sure when MMA became separate but equal in the sporting world. I've seen many posters say something like "he should go back to [insert sport/occupation here]." Athletes press themselves across all sports. Some will succeed, others will not. Just because they didn't succeed does NOT mean they are an embarrassment for giving it "the old college try."
Stephen Neal of the New England Patriots didn't play a down of football in college. I know this because we don't have a football team. Sure, he played in HS, but skipping four years of football and trying out for the pros is a pretty daunting task for anyone to undertake. He succeeded. If he hadn't succeeded, would we have called him an "embarrassment to football?"
Michael Jordan gave up a basketball career to attempt baseball. I don't consider him an embarrassment to the game because he tried his hand and failed.
I just don't understand the logic behind it. People see MMA as a fast-growing sport that promotes discipline and athleticism (or it ought to), and they want to get involved in it. For their efforts, if they don't succeed, people dub them an "embarrassment."
I never played basketball in my life until high school. I'd always played hockey. The position I loved and wanted to keep playing (goalie), however, I grew too tall to play, unfortunately. My HS coach knew I was an athlete and found a way to put the height I'd just gained to use. He had me come out and play basketball. I'm not a pro right now and I was never an elite state player, but I wouldn't consider my foray into basketball an embarrassment.
There's tons of reasons why athletes move from one sport to the next. Their reasons are their own. Not for other people to call them an "embarrassment" because they didn't succeed.
I'll grant you that there are some individuals who can foray more easily into boxing and MMA because people will pay to watch them fight/get their ass kicked. That and teams aren't just going to offer any joe-schmo a spot on their limited roster in the four major sports. Herschel Walker isn't just any schmuck, though. He's got a background in martial arts and knows what he's doing. Give the man a shot, he's earned it. It's not like he's had one fight and their throwing him in there against Overeem for the title.
Last edited 11/17/10 3:33AM by BlueSkiesBurn
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Post #10 11/17/10 3:32:59AM
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xburbx
MMA Regular
Career record: 598-360
Season: 0-0 (#-)
Location: New Jersey
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he's just a ticket seller. nothing more.
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Post #11 11/17/10 9:05:49AM
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tallica62
Belt Contender
Career record: 875-553
Season: 17-7 (#1027)
Location: San Diego
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he's no legend, but he did better than I thought he would
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Post #12 11/17/10 11:39:28AM
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Remember Paul Herrera
Career record: 1017-538
Season: 20-4 (#60)
Location: You think you can tell heaven from hell?
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I remember the dude in the crowd during Pride 34. He's a fan trying his hand at it. What's there to be embarrassed about? ****, he donates his check to charity.
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BJ Penn beat Frankie Edgar more times than Benson Henderson beat Frankie Edgar.
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Post #13 11/17/10 11:41:58AM
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prozacnation1978
Heavyweight Champ
Career record: 993-519
Season: 20-4 (#43)
Location: san diego
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Maybe fifteen years ago no
But a ex pro football player starting mma fighting in his 50's
He could get a heart attack and die!!!
Good for him but just train mma don't be a pro fighter!!!
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Post #14 11/17/10 12:37:11PM
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Gannon
MMA Regular
Career record: 1019-554
Season: 17-7 (#1011)
Location: Lakewood Colorado
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I hold nothing against Herschel Walker. In my opinion though as mma fans we are part matching process. If having a 50 year old Herschel Walker fight is going to sell seats or attract publicity they are going to do it. Its our job as mma fans to express our like or dislike openly .
I personally enjoy watching high/mid level fighters that are pushing their way to the top. What strikeforce is doing is feeding Herschel Walker cakewalk opposition. And to be honest at 1 fight he should only be getting cakewalk opposition. This is main card though. This is taking precedent over seeing a really good fighters such as Lyle Beerbohm or jay hieron.
I think having this on the main card isn't going to help strikeforce in the long run. It takes year and years of hardcore ground and mat work to be a good mma fighter. If Walkers gets a midlevel college wrestler standing across from him in the cage hes going to get embarrassed. However I think all Strikeforce want to do is attract attention a give him some wins. In the end most fans just get fooled.
Last edited 11/17/10 1:17PM by Gannon
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Post #15 11/17/10 12:47:33PM
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