Thrill of the battle pushes ageless Herschel Walker

Every day, Herschel Walker  gets up at 4:30 a.m. in his room at the Fairmont Hotel and, before eating, runs 3½-4 miles.

Still without food, Walker then does what seems endless pushups and sit-ups before heading to the American Kickboxing Academy gym in San Jose for his first daily workout.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, that means live sparring with people from hungry young prospects to fire-breathing fighting machines – including UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, back when he was preparing for his fight with Brock Lesnar.

Finally, Walker eats his one meal of the day, a dinner consisting of bread, soup, and sometimes chicken, but never red meat or fish. Then he does his second training session at AKA.

Before going to bed, usually around 1 a.m., he does more pushups and sit-ups. Then he wakes up and repeats the next day.

But unlike the other fighters in the gym, who live the MMA lifestyle hoping to make their names, secure a financial future, or win championships, it’s a lot harder to figure out what motivates Walker.

“I love the sport, the training, and these guys train as hard as any athletes in the world,” he said after finishing his first workout of his final week of hard preparation for a Jan. 29 fight against Scott Carson (4-1). “I want to help the sport grow. If somebody watches the show to see me fight, they may become new fans of the sport.”

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