Former NFL Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker will make his mixed martial arts debut on January 30th at Strikeforce: Miami against promotional newcomer Greg Nagy. The 47-year-old Walker’s debut fight was confirmed earlier today and will air on the event’s televised main card.
Walker signed a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce in September and has since been training with the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose. His opponent, Nagy, is a veteran of the Arizona-based Rage In The Cage promotion and fought two times in 2009.
Walker (0-0-0) raised eyebrows when he stated his intentions to compete in mixed martial arts, but the aging football legend has trained diligently with AKA since October. Sporting a fifth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, Walker will challenge himself in MMA for the first time on January 30th and will do so in front of a large television audience.
Nagy (1-1-0) won his mixed martial arts debut with a first-round TKO of Robert Principato at RITC 132 in August, but dropped a Unanimous Decision to Francisco Navarro at RITC 136 on November 7th. He will make his Strikeforce debut against Walker and a victory could earn Nagy a permanent spot on the promotion’s roster.
Some questions have arisen regarding the fight, however, as Strikeforce has opted to air Walker’s MMA debut on television while relegating a welterweight contender’s bout between Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron and Joe “Diesel” Riggs to the unaired undercard. Should Walker’s debut not go well, it may reflect poorly on the promotion and its decision to prominently feature the 47-year-old.
Professional wrestling star Bobby Lashley is expected to debut for Strikeforce against two-time Strikeforce veteran Yohan Banks in another televised bout on the card. Lashley (4-0-0) has won three of his four fights by stoppage and is coming off of a win over Bob “The Beast” Sapp. Banks (2-1-0) won his most recent fight by knockout in just 19 seconds, but has not competed since September of 2008.
Strikeforce: Miami takes place on January 30th at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida. The event features a pair of title fights and airs live on Showtime and Super Channel.