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COLUMN: Herschel Walker vs. Jose Canseco? Why this would be one of the darkest days for the sport of MMA
Feb 16, 2010 - 5:13:37 PM COLUMN: Herschel Walker vs. Jose Canseco? Why this would be one of the darkest days for the sport of MMA

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By Jason Amadi, MMATorch columnist

Yeah, when I heard that there are steps being taken to make Herschel Walker vs. Jose Canseco happen, I almost threw up a little.

Scott Coker over the last few years has really become a prominent figure in Mixed Martial Arts. Where other promoters have tried to compete head on with the UFC, he hasn't. Where other promoters have done too much, too soon, he hasn't. When Dana White and the monstrous Zuffa organization couldn't sign the greatest fighter on the planet, Fedor Emelianenko, he did.

Scott Coker has definitely carved out a great reputation for himself among the hardcore fans and media. The man behind StrikeForce is known for putting the sport first, trying to deliver quality free fights for fans, and provide stable work for his fighters. Actually, a lot of people consider him to be the antithesis of the brash, often foul-mouthed UFC figure head, Dana White, because of Coker's respectful demeanor. In the minds of many, Coker could do no wrong.

Enter Herschel Walker. The first possible major knock on Coker's decision making came in the form of the 47 year old ex-professional football player turned MMA hopeful.

Before he actually performed people were wondering whether or not this would be some sort of freak show, similar to Jose Canseco vs. "Techno Goliath" Hong Man Choi in the DREAM Super Hulk Tournament last year. Many thought it could also be similar to the debacle at K-1 Dynamite USA where a steroid fueled Johnnie Morton couldn't even turn in a performance that could keep him conscious for a full 40 seconds.

But luckily for Coker, StrikeForce, and MMA, Walker had an amazing performance for 47 year old man, a fairly impressive debut for an MMA newbie, and a predictable domination for a former pro football player taking on a man with the athleticism of a rubber band. It brought eyes to the sport, Walker took the fight very seriously by investing his time in a full training camp, and he fought a real MMA fighter, albeit one who served, realistically speaking, as little more than a punching bag.

Enter Jose Canseco... again. Lurking in the shadows during Walker's successful debut was a certain ex-baseball player, obviously suffering from financial woes, and in desperate need of a payday. Canseco, a man who had already embarrassed MMA overseas, is now looking to bring his craft of MMA embarrassment stateside.

He's joined the ranks of the Cesar Gracie Fight Team, in order to prepare properly for a fight with Walker, which from the sounds of it, is definitely in the works. According to Scott Coker, Jose Canseco can "throw a kick like Cung Le," which leads me and anyone else with deductive reasoning skills to believe that he has at least talked to Canseco and is looking to put the fight together.

Whether or not Canseco trains hard for it, this fight should never ever happen. It doesn't matter if they have a barn burner of a fight. It doesn't matter if it draws in a big audience. It isn't worth the damage it would do to the sport. And no, these are not the ramblings of a crazed hardcore MMA fan (I've checked with my therapist). Simply put, putting a baseball player against a football player in a cage and letting them fight is a bad move for a sport that's trying to establish legitimacy in the mainstream.

The UFC has had several PPV offerings, and StrikeForce has a big show coming in April on CBS, but all ESPN would cover after the Walker fight was the possibility of he and Canseco doing battle. That is ridiculous. It is better for ESPN not to cover MMA at all than for it to be broadcast to the world that two athletes, obviously past their primes, can get a main card fight for a major MMA organization on Showtime or possibly even CBS.

Love him or hate him, the one thing Dana White has always been against is freak show fights. During the darkest days of the UFC, post-Zuffa, Dana White never even considered doing freak show fights just to bring in eyeballs. He was bent on the sport gaining favor with a mainstream audience because of the hard work of the fighters and the excitement of the sport, not because he could get to past-their-prime athletes to strap on a pair of four ounce gloves and have at each other in a cage.

Should the Walker vs. Canseco fight be put together, surely much of the goodwill StrikeForce and Scott Coker have worked so hard to accrue would be frittered away in an instant.

The reason celebrity boxing never really hurt the sport of professional boxing was because it was an event designed specifically for that purpose. For all intents and purposes, two non-fighters on a main card fight in a major MMA organization would be one of the darkest days the sport has ever seen.