By Nate Lawson, Inside Fights
When it comes to professional athletes, no one fits the bill quite like Herschel Walker.
Walker, a 1982 Heisman winner, NFL-veteran and Olympian, has now entered a new stage in his career by winning his first-ever mixed martial arts competition.
At the age of 47, Walker defeated Greg Nagy via technical knockout in the third round of his debut fight at Strikeforce: Miami. While Walker claims his age is merely a number, it was actually a big factor for the athlete who has done it all and for the promotion he calls his home
Walker made the announcement in September that he would take the dive into MMA after signing with the California-based promotion Strikeforce. Ever since that announcement, the promotion has utilized Walker as a hype-machine. And the hype certainly seemed to surround the Georgia native’s debut last evening.
Yet Walker’s appeal did so much more than spotlight his debut, as he managed to share the spotlight with every other fighter featured on Saturday's card, including Bobby Lashley, Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos, Nick Diaz and Robbie Lawler.
While at least three of those four are experienced mixed martial artists who have taken their respective places in the sport over the years, the beauty of bringing in a man like Walker is the attention brought with him to be shared among the other fighters.
Diaz versus Marius Zaromskis for the vacant Strikeforce welterweight title certainly raises the eyebrows of the hard-core fans. The Strikeforce women’s lightweight title between Santos and Marloes Coenen does the same. However, casual fans and viewers just don’t find the same excitement in these title fights as watching a 47-year-old enter the cage.
Another example of a very similar situation is found with the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s Kimbo Slice. Slice, who was merely a backyard brawler and YouTube sensation, was and is an enormous draw for the casual fan.
Slice was featured on “The Ultimate Fighter” last year, which was the reality series’ most successful season ever in terms of ratings. He was also featured on the finale of the show against former UFC light heavyweight wrecking ball Houston Alexander, which (you guessed it) brought in incredible TV numbers.
Not only does Slice benefit from the recognition that comes along with his name, but the UFC also benefits with the opportunity to move the spotlight over prospects and contenders, such as Jon “Bones” Jones and Frankie Edgar.
While neither Slice, nor Walker is considered a top-tier mixed martial artist, each man will fill the stadiums and bring in the viewers. Not only does that benefit the promotions who score great ratings and packed venues, but also the fighters featured on the card who would otherwise not garner the same exposure. And in a blossoming sport like mixed martial arts, exposure is key.
It may seem a crime that a matchup featuring two men with a combined record of 1-1 would bring in more attention than a welterweight title fight, the fact of the matter is, it’s not why the viewers are tuning in as long as they are.
Walker was certainly not the best fighter on the card, and his fight not nearly the most important, but the NFL-veteran managed to bring more attention to the sport and its fighters than they could have done themselves. The result, an incredible opportunity for Strikeforce and its fighters to gain the exposure necessary to succeed in the business and sport that is mixed martial arts.
