The Stunt Man: White Dismisses Herschel Walker Deal
Jake Rossen Sep 24, 2009
Herschel Walker is a tremendous athlete, and quite honestly, I
think he could threaten Brock
Lesnar for the heavyweight championship of the world. I think
it will cut into our business. Strikeforce is a legitimate threat
to our bottom line.
Or not. Really -- what else is Dana White going to say?
Speaking to a Spike podcast Wednesday, White was gnawing at news Strikeforce had signed ex-NFL great Walker to a fight contract. "I think it's ridiculous,” he said. “People think we're anti-competition? We're anti-dumb competition. Doing stupid things like this, putting a 50-year-old guy in the Octagon for the first time, and then going out there putting out press releases like it's a big deal because you signed a 50-year-old Herschel Walker? Are you serious? Which athletic commission is going to let this guy fight?”
Not that he intended to, but White brings up a solvent point: the alarming leniency of athletic commissions. Presuming you have clean blood work and an undisturbed MRI, you stand an excellent chance of being granted permission to compete. Boards pay little head to intangibles like age or past injury: Fred Ettish got the OK from Minnesota to have his second pro fight at age 53; Ken Shamrock, despite suffering TKO losses in four of his last five fights, was allowed a third match with Tito Ortiz in Florida. Even White himself -- a man with only anecdotal boxing experience, and in a bit of hypocrisy -- was set to box professional athlete Tito Ortiz with Nevada’s blessing.
State intervention needs to be measured, but I’m not sure there’s much of a defense for allowing zero-experience fighters due for a colonoscopy to choke on four-ounce gloves. And allowing “great athletes” to compete because they once looked good on Astroturf has rarely worked out well.
Or not. Really -- what else is Dana White going to say?
Speaking to a Spike podcast Wednesday, White was gnawing at news Strikeforce had signed ex-NFL great Walker to a fight contract. "I think it's ridiculous,” he said. “People think we're anti-competition? We're anti-dumb competition. Doing stupid things like this, putting a 50-year-old guy in the Octagon for the first time, and then going out there putting out press releases like it's a big deal because you signed a 50-year-old Herschel Walker? Are you serious? Which athletic commission is going to let this guy fight?”
Not that he intended to, but White brings up a solvent point: the alarming leniency of athletic commissions. Presuming you have clean blood work and an undisturbed MRI, you stand an excellent chance of being granted permission to compete. Boards pay little head to intangibles like age or past injury: Fred Ettish got the OK from Minnesota to have his second pro fight at age 53; Ken Shamrock, despite suffering TKO losses in four of his last five fights, was allowed a third match with Tito Ortiz in Florida. Even White himself -- a man with only anecdotal boxing experience, and in a bit of hypocrisy -- was set to box professional athlete Tito Ortiz with Nevada’s blessing.
State intervention needs to be measured, but I’m not sure there’s much of a defense for allowing zero-experience fighters due for a colonoscopy to choke on four-ounce gloves. And allowing “great athletes” to compete because they once looked good on Astroturf has rarely worked out well.
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