Couture Endorses Walker

From one “old man” to another, Randy Couture said any speculation surrounding Herschel Walker’s fighting debut this Saturday is much ado about nothing.

The 47-year-old Walker, a 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time Pro Bowl selection, makes his MMA debut against Greg Nagy Saturday at Strikeforce “Miami” at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Fla.

“I don’t think there’s an issue,” said Couture, who turns 47 in June. “I think Herschel’s always been an amazing athlete. How many guys are going to make the bobsled team and then compete in the Olympics? Then, obviously, there’s the storied career at Georgia and in professional football. He's a tremendous athlete; he’s been involved not only as a fan, but also a competitor in martial arts for a long time and now wants to test his skills and see how he’s going to do in mixed martial arts.”

Walker, a fifth-degree black belt in tae kwon do, joined American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., for a three-month training camp last October. Walker worked alongside UFC standouts Cain Velasquez, Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick and Jon Fitch, among others, while progress reports coming out of the tight-knit camp have been nothing short of glowing.

Couture, who’s won six UFC titles in two divisions during his illustrious 13-year career and knows a thing or two about late-career spurts, predicted Walker will impress in his debut.

“I think he’s going to be explosive,” said Couture, who faces Mark Coleman in the main event at UFC 109 on Feb. 6 in Las Vegas. “He may not be a top-rated fighter right now, but we’ll get a chance to see how he competes and what kind of athlete he is and see how far he can go with it.”