Like celebrities? Who doesn't!
/flips through InTouch
/vomits
Okay, I don't. And I certainly am not a fan of MMA grinders making way for celeb names at the top of the card, an affliction that Strikeforce: Miami suffers from. While the card has a pair of belts up for grabs, it also has a pair of "name" athletes fighting glorified exhibitions in the cage, and that pushes my hate-buttons. While occasionally a "name" becomes a legit top-level fighter (see: Lesnar, Brock) more often they're in the cage to grab a little cash while bringing in indifferent eyeballs that don't really care about the sport. Everybody wins - except MMA fans, who are left pounding the fast-forward button.
Thankfully, if you can blind your eyes to the glare of the "stars", there are a few fights to recommend here.
I was... how old when this photo was taken? Oh, right. I hadn't been born yet.
Let's get the gawking out of the way first. Most younger MMA fans will likely have more of a connection to Bobby Lashley, he of the ECW title reigns. (Having once owned a Sabu t-shirt, I feel shameful legitimizing the WWE's reboot of Ee See Dub.) This is Lashley's 5th MMA fight (4-0) and first on a major stage, and he should make short work of TUF veteran Wes Sims (22-12-1 2 NC), who accepted the fight on eight days' notice after previous opponents were rejected by first the state athletic commission and then Showtime. That should give you an idea of what sort of mismatch this ought to be.
But it's Herschel Walker that's the bigger celebrity freakshow here. At one point, Walker won the Heisman and put together a solid little NFL career, lasting 11 years as a running back, making two Pro Bowls and posting a 1,500 yard rushing season in 1988. Unfortunately, Walker appears to have caught Faded Athlete Syndrome and is attempting his first MMA fight... at the age of 47. Yiiiipes. Walker, apparently not a big enough name to crack the lineup of Dancing With The Stars, will attempt to crack the skull of Greg Nagy instead. Despite his advanced age, Herschel, who according to USA Today competed in the Olympics (as a bobsledder!) in 1992, currently trains at American Kickboxing Academy and is still in tremendous shape by most reports. It's not going to be a classic, but look for Walker to record a win over the 1-1 Nagy, who is twenty years Walker's junior.
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