Herschel Walker not done with MMA, wants one more fight in the UFC

More than two years have passed since 51-year-old Herschel Walker entered an MMA cage, but the former NFL great wants one more shot – in the UFC.

Walker, who scored a pair of knockout wins over lower-level opponents with the now-defunct Strikeforce promotion, hasn’t closed the door on his MMA career, which followed the running back’s Heisman Trophy campaign at the University of Georgia and a successful NFL run.

“I’d love to do it again,” Walker recently told the LaVar Arrington Show with Chad Dukes (106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C.). “I absolutely love MMA. I think it’s an excellent sport.”

Walker announced his MMA intentions in 2007 and signed with Strikeforce in 2009. While some dismissed it as a publicity stint, Walker hooked up with the famed American Kickboxing Academy in California. Teammates such as Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier raved about his professionalism and work ethic, and Walker, a taekwondo black belt, earned some credibility with his stoppage wins over Greg Nagy and former WEC fighter Scott Carson. But he hasn’t competed since January 2011.

“If I were younger, I’d be doing it right now,” Walker said. “Because I’m a little bit older and I have a business going, I say I’d like to do one more fight, and then I think it’s time for me to step aside and give it to the young people. But I’d like to do one more fight.”

He said he wants that fight to be in the UFC, which purchased Strikeforce in 2011 and disbanded it earlier this year. But as MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported in early 2012, UFC President Dana White said Walker probably wouldn’t be competitive in the UFC’s heavyweight division and suggested an octagon debut was unlikely.

But that hasn’t stopped would-be opponents from calling him out.

“I’ve had a couple of people talk about they want to fight me,” Walker said. “I’m like, ‘Guys, you all are calling me out. It’s almost like saying you want to plan on your homecoming game. But you better bring more than your lunch because I love this sport.’

“I don’t like losing. I like to get it on a little bit.”