(Props: Fight Magazine)

Ever since former NFL player and Dissociative Identity Disorder sufferer Herschel Walker announced his intention to become an MMA fighter, the question that still follows him is, why? Why does a guy who’s 47 years old want to start a whole new career in a sport where hungry young bucks will be lining up to make a name for themselves by thumping on his skull? Most of the time in MMA, the answer to this question lies somewhere in the intersection of a desperate financial situation and a longing for attention. But Walker says he’s motivated by neither. He just wants to show everyone that with a lot of hard work, you can do anything.

In this case, ‘anything’ includes beating a 1-1 fighter who oddsmakers have pegged as a +250 underdog. Even Greg Nagy’s trainer isn’t so hot on his chances to beat Walker, who is, by all accounts, a very athletic, extremely hard-working gym rat. This raises the question, what will it really prove for Walker to win this fight? Is beating a handpicked opponent everyone expects him to dominate really going to prove that anything is possible?

Grizzled old-timer Don Frye says letting guys like Walker jump into the sport like this keeps people from taking MMA seriously, whereas Walker will tell you that it’s an inspirational story for all the kids out there.  The truth is probably somewhere in the middle.  It’s nice to see a man chasing his dream at an age when most guys have taken to wearing fanny packs and calling the cops to complain about suspicious-looking teenagers, but it’s also not going to shock the world if Walker beats someone who was more or less brought in to lose.