http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/ca...view-In-the-UFC-Herschel-Walke?urn=mma,219814 Herschel Walker and Jose Canseco have gotten way too much coverage from the mainstream media according to UFC president Dana White and he's sick of it. Before and after his Strikeforce fight, Walker, 1982 Heisman Trophy winner, appeared all over ESPN television, ESPNRadio and ESPN.com. "Herschel Walker is like 50 years old and it’s a cool little fun hobby," White told Gridlock on ESPNRadio1100 (0:10 mark) in Las Vegas."You know what makes me crazy is the media attention it got. ESPN will cover Herschel Walker fighting when you got guys like George St. Pierre, Anderson Silva, Brock Lesnar, and B.J. Penn. All these great athletes that have been training for years and are the best in the sport and you are talking about Herschel Walker? Then you start talking about Walker possibly fighting Jose Canseco? Oh my god, give me a break." For many casual fans like ESPN1100's Seat Williams, after seeing Walker all over ESPN, the natural question is why isn't Walker in the UFC? "Hell no. You know what would happen to Herschel Walker over here? It would be the first death in MMA," said White. "He wasn’t impressive in his first fight; he would have to turn it up for the next three or four." That seems to be a bit of a stretch. The 6-foot-1, 215 lb. Walker can't compete as a low-level light heavyweight or heavyweight? His conditioning and heart can't be worse than Rolles Gracie, who got just one fight with the UFC at UFC 109, gassed out in three minutes, quit in the second round and was cut four days later. Canseco has hitched his wagon to Walker. He was all the rage on MMA blogs last week when he called out the former NFL star. There were reports that the 45-year-old former MLB slugger met with Strikeforce. In any case, he began training at a rival gym in Northern California to Walker's American Kickboxing Academy. Canseco's trainer Cesar Gracie said he will turn Canseco into a solid fighter in three months. Canseco lost his only professional fight and is 0-1-1 in celebrity exhibitions. I agree with the guy that says Walker - Kimbo would be a good exhibition.
Obviously Walker is a joke and is not an MMA fighter. I have no idea where they dug up the stiff he faced, but that win means nothing. Obviously all of the hype Walker got is undeserved. That being said, if the hype convinced non MMA fans to tune in to watch Walker fight, and in the process they saw the other fights like Lawlor\Manhoef and Diaz\Zamorkis and because of those fights became new fans of the sport, then it is all worth it. If Strike Force was hanging their hat on Walker like EliteXC did with Kimbo, then yes, obviously it's a bad thing and a huge mistake. But if they just use him as an 'attraction', then it's not a big issue. TFK
Dana talking shit again....he must surely realise that he benefits from this, due to the amount of non-mma fans that the Walker event would have pulled in. A lot of people who think of MMA or cage fighting, as glorified street-fighting may have revised their opinions based on what they saw.
I completely disagree. Walker was all over FoxSports radio, as well as ESPN Radio. I GUARANTEE this was the first time many mainstream sports fans who only watch the UFC had even heard of Strikeforce. The publicity Strikeforce got from Walker was huge. Like TFK said, as long as they aren't hanging their hat on Walker, which they are not, its all good.
It's not just about attracting people who will be willing to buy PPVs in the future, it is about improving the overall image of the sport. Over here in the UK, MMA gets very little press coverage, because the suits that run newspapers don't view it as a proper sport. Eventually that ideology will change, and things like this (or a UK equivalent) will help do that.
The freak show shit needs to end though if MMA is ever going to be viewed as a legit sport. If Strikeforce wants to make these kind of fights, they are definitely not helping the sport progress. I will be pissed if Strikeforce signs Conseco.
I agree with you then. Dana should have never even commented on it, he should have treated it like it was beneath him to even comment on it at all. He always gets into these pissing contests and looks like an idiot.
He isn't signing Walker. I know you guys hate Dana and all but even he isn't that fucking stupid. Walker is a 50 year old man.
disagREED... If/When the "Freak Show" Guys like Walker, Canseco or Kimbo Fight LEGIT MMAists, they Get DOMINATED...To REED, it VALIDATES the Sport... REED:mj:
None of those guys except maybe Kimbo will be matched against anyone legit though. They are just milked for all the ratings they are worth and matched soft.
