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Herschel Walker, the Heisman Trophy-winning running back and former NFL player with the Minnesota Vikings and Dallas Cowboys, has found a new career: mixed martial arts. The 47-year-old Walker has signed a contract with Strikeforce to fight at an unspecified date. He will begin training with American Kickboxing Academy, the high-profile camp in San Jose, Calif., that trains UFC standouts Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick, Jon Fitch, Cain Velasquez and Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson. "I've been training for several years.  I would play college football games on Saturday and then compete in martial arts tournaments on Sunday after church. I'm now looking forward to opening up another chapter in my life and to competing in MMA," said Walker in a news release. Walker is not the first high-profile athlete to make the jump to MMA. In the current season of "The Ultimate Fighter," four former NFL players are trying for a chance at a contract with the UFC, most notably Marcus Jones, who played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for seven years. Cleveland Cavaliers star Shaquille O'Neal has trained in mixed martial arts for years, and made jokes about challenging former UFC champ Chuck Liddell. That doesn't mean that the road to MMA success will be easy for Walker, who retired from football in 1997. During last week's episode of "The Ultimate Fighter," Jones became sick from the intense workouts that MMA requires. Afterwards, he noted that he never had to work that hard in the NFL. Walker will also have the obstacle of age in front of him. Though there are fighters who compete well into their forties -- most notably Randy Couture, who is 46 -- but those fighters did not spend much of their lives being tackled by 265 pound linebackers. The wear and tear on a running back should not be dismissed when looking at Walker's chances. At the same time, it will be hard not to root for him. He's been an MMA fan for years, and was even at UFC 103 this past weekend in Dallas. Walker is a modern-day Jim Thorpe, having competed in the Olympic bobsled, professional football and now MMA. Now, he will test the bounds of his age and health again in MMA. Seeing a 47-year-old man walk the walk in this manner is downright inspirational.

How quickly things change in the UFC. At the start of the summer it didn't look like there was a single intriguing matchup for UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva. Four months later, the UFC can't decide which of three fighters gets the next shot. Nate Marquardt, Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort have all turned in quick, devastating victories. Henderson thought for sure that he was next after burying Michael Bisping at UFC 100 with his Knockout of the Night. Not so fast my friend. UFC president Dana White has been talked out of that by the media and fans. And by the sound of it during the UFC 103 postfight press conference, Belfort's quick finish of Rich Franklin has put him at the front of the list for Silva: "We're in this place in the 185 pound division [where] you have a guy that's so dominant. Anytime you can come up with new and exciting fights for him [it's good]," said White. Henderson and Marquardt flopped in their first title shots against Silva. "I love where we're at right now. I love the fact that we have Vitor in the weight class, I think Vitor might be ready now."

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Put me on the short list of MMA fans who'd like to see Tim Sylvia back in the UFC or with Strikeforce. Sure the guy was destroyed by Fedor Emelianenko and embarrassed by 100-year old Ray Mercer, but he can still be a handful in a heavyweight division devoid of great striker. Sylvia isn't a great striker but he's more than solid and his size is troubling for most MMA heavyweights. He began his road back to bigger and better last night at Adrenaline IV in Iowa. Sylvia finished Jason Riley in less than three minutes. His power was evident as he floored Riley with a short left cross.

But there still has to be some doubt about how much he wants to make it back with a big promotion. Fighting at 287 pounds is ridiculous. Let's hope he steps up competition and conditioning next time around. One warning on the video, turn down the volume on your computer at the close of the fight (2:36 mark) as Gus Johnson II, Michael Schiavello shrieks. I'm starting to the think the screaming lady, Lenne Hardt, from old PRIDE days was tolerable. Tip via Bloody Elbow

It was as simple as taking a leak (insert Lyoto Machida/Juan Manuel Marquez urine drinking joke here). Vitor Belfort missed weight yesterday by 1/4 pound. He went to the lockerroom and quickly emptied his bladder. When he came out a few minutes later to weigh-in again with Texas Commission chief Dickie Cole, Belfort was at the limit of 196 pounds. "The Phenom" explains towards the end of the video that the scale he used earlier in the day was wrong. In this installment of Vitor's UFC 103 vlog, UFC president Dana White is seen telling the fighters that tonight's bonuses for Fight of the Night, Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night are $65,000. That's some nice cheddar for the newer UFC fighters. The undercard features six fighters making their UFC debut and many more who probably aren't going to make anymore than $25,000 even with a win. Tip via MMAforReal

Join us tonight for live fight-by-fight coverage of the massive card at UFC 103 in Dallas. Maggie Hendricks jumps on board with a live chat at 9 p.m. ET with the start of the Spike card leading into the pay-per-view. Below, check out the full breakdown of the card with Cagewriter's official plays from a Las Vegas perspective. UFC 103 odds (courtesy Venetian Resort Hotel Casino) Cagewriter's recommended plays in bold Vitor Belfort (+110) v. Rich Franklin (-140) - 195 pounds The weigh-in didn't exactly build confidence in a Belfort pick. He didn't look great, missed weight and then went to the bathroom to unload and finally reach 196 pounds. That said, we're still going to fire on Belfort. It's an even fight and in Belfort you're getting an underdog with more finishing power. It's tough to pick against Franklin when you know he's always in the fight. It'll be interesting to see if Belfort tries the clinch game that worked so well for Anderson Silva in his two fights against Franklin. PICK: BELFORT +110 Juniior Dos Santos (-115) v. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (-115) - Heavyweight Cro Cop is looking to prove he's still a fighter in his prime. I'm not so sure based on what I saw at UFC 99 against Mostapha Al-Turk. Some of his athleticism has dissipated and gone is the intimidation factor. Is Dos Santos really proven at the highest level? Not really but he feels like the safer play. PICK: DOS SANTOS -115 Paul Daley (+210) v. Martin Kampmann (-270) - Welterweight This fight could be intriguing if Kampmann decides to stand with Daley instead going to the ground where he has a big edge. Daley is a bit mechanical with his hands but he does have power recently taking one of Kampmann's campmates in John Alessio. The other question for Kampmann is his fire going in. This a big drop down in name value going from Mike Swick to Daley. Fire on Kampmann but beware. PICK: KAMPMANN -270 Read the rest of this entry »

(even Ernie Anastos' co-anchor was shocked by Tim Cowlishaw)

If I didn't read it, I wouldn't believe it.

Three weeks ago, we brought you the fine wordsmithing of John Canzano, the Oregonian columnist, who said if he didn't like what he saw from MMA at UFC 102 then it's not legitimate.

The UFC has touched ground in Dallas for UFC 103 and now it's Tim Cowlishaw's turn to re-write the same column T.J. Simers and countless others have written. Cowlishaw's got nerve, though -- he actually made sure to take it a step further, throwing in an anti-gay slur. Much like Bob Arum, who said MMA is a bunch of homosexuals (VIDEO - 4:20 mark) rolling around on the floor, Cowlishaw indicated he's homophobic as well when it comes to the ground work in cagefighting:

They could call their videos Rough Man Love Gone Wild, for all I can tell.

Whoa. That seems a bit insensitive. This is the Dallas Morning News and a guy who makes reuglar appearances on ESPN's Around the Horn, right? Would it be kosher to utter a line like that on the television show, or better yet in front of ESPN.com writer LZ Granderson, who is openly gay?

Cowlishaw admits that he prefers boxing and it's clear he's got a little angst towards the growth of MMA. He does give the UFC and Dana White credit for marketing the sport well, but the anti-gay line seems to be a bit much. I wonder what the Texas high school wrestling community or jiu-jitsu practioners would think of Cowlishaw's statement?

Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort is back in the UFC and so is his dynamite hand speed. His opponent at UFC 103, Rich Franklin is a good stiker but isn't know for lightning in his hands. Franklin is more of a grinder who wears his opponents down with volume. So the question going into his main event fight against Belfort is whether speed trumps volume. Belfort's trainer Shawn Tompkins says it's no contest. In fact, the head trainer at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas told Cagewriter in July that Belfort's striking is so good he could be a top 10 boxer in his weight division (VIDEO - 4:45 mark). Franklin respects Belfort but thinks that statement is a bit outlandish: "When you're talking boxing for boxing, I think that's a stretch for any MMA fighter," Franklin told Cagewriter. "I know if you put me in the ring with top 10 [boxers], I would get dusted." Watch Franklin talk boxing v. MMA:

Franklin does respect Belfort's speed and says he admires how straight the Brazilians punches come. He also says Belfort has become a much better counter-striker but being on a boxer's level is a whole different thing: Read the rest of this entry »

The battle is less than 24 hours away as boxing and MMA go head-to-head on pay-per-view. It's not a great night for fight fans many of whom would like to watch both cards unfold live. UFC president Dana White says publicly he thinks it stinks that fans have to choose, but he's even more disappointed that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is fighting Juan Manuel Marquez instead of the guy that he says most boxing fans are calling for in Manny Pacquiao.

White thinks that big fight may never happen because Pacman's promoter Bob Arum doesn't like Floyd or and doesn't like working with him (2:20 mark - NSFW):

"I'm different than them. My [expletive] job is to make these fights. There's plenty of people I don't like that we put fights on with. It's not up to me whether I like them or dislike them, it's what the fans want to see."

White brought up the world's top MMA heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko as a example:

"I don't think Fedor is the best [expletive] heavyweight and he's definitely not top 10 pound-for-pound, but if you [expletive] guys want to see that fight then I want to see that fight."

UFC tried to bring in Fedor during August negotiations but fell short. The Russian landed with Strikeforce/Showtime and will make his debut on CBS on November 7.

On the subject of battling the boxing PPV this weekend, White told the media at the UFC 103 press conference that it's not important who wins in PPV buys but then contradicted himself with some trash talk:

"Let's say Floyd does a million buys [then] there's a million stupid [expletive] people out there."

White doesn't agree that the Mayweather fight beating his UFC 103 card in buys proves a point:

"That doesn't mean boxing is bigger and better than the UFC. That's not true. The reality is that the UFC is bigger than boxing and the WWE combined [in terms of PPV buys]."

That is true but it's also a bit of misnomer. UFC is now producing 10-12 PPVs a year while boxing pay cards have dropped significantly from years past.

Today starts the holiest time of the year. Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish New Year, begins at sundown, followed by Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, ten days later. Why is this being mentioned on an MMA blog? Because the UFC chose to put an event on this holy day. Despite having only one pay-per-view event in September, they decided to put it on a day when observant Jews have to make a choice between their faith and the sport they love. This dilemma is not new to sports. Former baseball player Shawn Green missed games while in a pennant race to observe Yom Kippur. The Detroit Tigers were criticized this year for having their home opener on Good Friday, an important holy day for Christians. There are two important differences, though. Major League Baseball teams are obligated to play all of their baseball games within a certain time frame, to keep the playoffs on schedule. Also, there are 162 baseball games in a season, so it's not the end of the world if both fans and players miss just one game. This is not true for the UFC. They have control over their own calendar, especially in terms of pay-per-views. Putting 103 on another weekend would have been plausible. Also, when a UFC event comes to town, there is no guarantee that they will be back anytime soon. Jewish MMA fans in the Dallas area will be forced into a choice. Jewish MMA media were also forced into a choice, and there is no reason for it. A little awareness by the UFC could have gone a long way, as I doubt that the UFC would have put an event on Christmas.

Fighting can often be a sport of rage. But it's not a rage that should encompass the entirety of someone's existence. At least that's what veteran fighter Vitor Belfort is thinking. "The Phenom" makes his long awaited return to the Octagon on Saturday at UFC 103 against Rich Franklin and you're not going to find a happier, more relaxed guy amongst the 26 fighters on this UFC card. Belfort was thrust into the spotlight back in 1997 at the age of 19. He rose to the top quickly winning the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight titles. But it all came too fast for Belfort, who sort of burned out. The fire is back now but not just because of the competition in the cage, Belfort knows who he is and what role fighting plays in his life: "I know [my fight career] isn't going to take forever. It's a short moment in life. I want to use the platform God's provided for me to show people the values of life, I think a lot of people have that platform, they're not using it the right way. They're using it for their pleasure. I want to make it a better world. I want to use the platform to reach people."

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