White Rebukes Herschel Walker Challenge

UFC president Dana White stopped by “Jim Rome Is Burning” today on ESPN to talk about UFC 104, Herschel Walker’s challenge for a fight and more.

Walker, the 47-year-old former NFL superstar who recently signed a contract to fight with Strikeforce, challenged White to a fight after the UFC president called the signing “embarrassing.”

White responded in typical fashion.

“Herschel Walker, he’s out there saying he wants to fight me,” White said. “Listen here, okay? I’m 40 years old, and I’m too old to fight. Dude, you’re 47. You are definitely too old to fight.”

White laughed at the comparisons being made between Walker and UFC legend Randy Couture.

“People say, oh, Randy is only two years younger than Herschel. Right, but you don’t see Randy going out and trying out for the NFL,” said White. “It’s insulting and it’s embarrassing.”

Rome questioned whether any athletic commission would sanction Walker to fight.

“Exactly. I want I see an athletic commission that will sanction him to fight,” White said with a laugh. “He’s fighting on CBS? Please.”

White also revealed that he believed Fedor Emelianenko was not afraid to fight in the UFC, instead pinning the blame for his failure to sign Emelianenko on the Russian’s managers.

“Fedor is not afraid to come over and fight in the UFC,” White said. “The deal is that he has these nutty managers who come here and try to strong-arm us into some kind of deal that we don’t want. Go to the butcher down the street and do that. It doesn’t work here in the United States.”

White also stated that his belief that Emelianenko would eventually end up in the UFC.