Herschel Walker Faces WEC Vet at Dec. 4 Strikeforce

Herschel Walker (Pictured), the 1982 Heisman Trophy winner and two-time NFL Pro Bowl selection, will lock horns with World Extreme Cagefighting veteran Scott Carson in a featured matchup at Strikeforce “Henderson vs. Babalu” on Dec. 4 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, according to an ESPN.com report.

Walker, who has trained regularly at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., made his professional mixed martial arts debut in January, as he stopped the little-known Greg Nagy on third-round punches at Strikeforce “Miami” in Sunrise, Fla. Walker, who turns 49 in March, holds a fifth-degree black belt in tae kwon do.

One of college football’s greatest players, Walker led the University of Georgia to an undefeated season and national championship as a freshman in 1980 and won the Heisman Trophy two years later. He rushed for 5,259 yards and 49 touchdowns in 33 games as a collegian and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.

After a stint in the now-defunct United States Football League, Walker spent 12 seasons in the NFL with the Cowboys, Vikings, Eagles and Giants. The Wrightsville, Ga., native still ranks eighth on the all-time list with 18,168 all-purpose yards, ahead of such hall of famers as Marcus Allen, Thurman Thomas, Tony Dorsett and Jim Brown.

Carson, who trained previously with UFC hall of famer Chuck Liddell, returned to MMA following a nine-year absence in January. He lost by first-round knockout to Lorenz Larkin under the MEZ Sports banner in Los Angeles. The 40-year-old Californian defeated Bryson Haubrick at WEC 1 in June 2001.

A light heavyweight bout pairing former two-division Pride Fighting Championships titleholder Dan Henderson with UFC veteran Renato “Babalu” Sobral will headline Strikeforce “Henderson vs. Babalu.”