Former USC and NFL wide receiver Johnnie Morton was eating at a Corona del Mar health food restaurant three months ago when he struck up a conversation with another avid follower of mixed martial arts.
"I'm a huge fan of it," Morton said. "I know more about MMA guys than I do NFL players. I know everything about most guys: their stats, who they lost to, who they won against. I've watched it since the UFC [Ultimate Fighting Championship] first came out."
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday June 07, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 32 words Type of Material: Correction
Johnnie Morton: In an article in Saturday's Sports section about former NFL wide receiver Johnnie Morton's mixed martial arts debut, he was credited with 614 career receptions. Morton has 624 career receptions.
Armed with the knowledge of Morton's enthusiasm and impressed by the 35-year-old's lean and muscular frame, mixed martial arts athlete agent Joey Sakoda introduced himself and extended a training invitation to the receiver who last appeared in the NFL with the 2005 San Francisco 49ers after being a first-round draft pick (21st overall) of the Detroit Lions in 1994.
After watching a PRIDE Fighting Championships card in Las Vegas earlier this year, Morton was sold.
He spent more than two months practicing the MMA principles of striking, wrestling, kicking and submitting with other Sakoda fighters at the Joker's Wild Fighting Academy in Lake Forest, and tonight, Morton will make his fighting debut at the venue where he grew comfortable playing USC home games, the Coliseum.
Morton, of Torrance, ranks third on USC's career receptions list with 201. He also scored 23 touchdowns.
"It helps being familiar with the territory, especially in this first fight," he said. "As opposed to Japan, this is an ideal place for me to start. I had good experiences [here], and I'll have lots of friends and family watching."
The Japan-based Fighting and Entertainment Group is co-promoting a nine-fight K-1 Heroes show it hopes will draw a North American record crowd for an MMA event. Morton's fight against Bernard Ackah (1-0) of the Ivory Coast will be televised on FEG's pay-per-view portion of the show.
"It's called learning on the fly," Morton said of his new sport. "The training is infinitely harder than in the NFL, where you can take a week off and still be in shape to play. With this, you can't miss a day. And the pressure's greater because it's an individual sport. You lose, not your team. The anxiety level is a lot harder on me."
The card has a novelty feel to it, given that the main event features a former professional wrestler, Brock Lesnar, making his MMA debut.
Yet, Morton's MMA talent "is pretty legit," said former UFC light-heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell, who has crossed training paths with Morton.
