John Walsh, UFC, and ESPN2

The USC Davis School professor appears on the TV special The Body Issue as an expert discussing the brain chemistry of UFC champ Randy Couture
By Jonathan Riggs

     John Walsh, USC Davis School Gerontology Associate Professor and Distinguished CET Faculty Fellow, serves as a featured expert on the ESPN2 one-hour special The Body Issue, which airs Thursday, October 7 at 10 pm PT.
     The special, coinciding with ESPN The Magazine’s issue of the same name, features top-tier athletes determining what their particular body issues are, and, using CGI and body-mapping, how they overcame them to achieve their maximum physical potential.
     “I loved talking about UFC fighter Randy Couture’s life journey,” says Walsh, who was chosen for his neurological expertise. “It was great for me to be able to talk about the brain areas behind Randy’s intense drive to compete at the highest level, and how researchers are beginning to get clues to how his brain might be different.”
     Some of the other athletes featured include Nate Robinson, the Celtics guard who is one of the shortest players in the NBA yet has one of the highest vertical jumps, and Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a triathlete and U.S. Paralympic swimming gold medalist despite having had both his legs amputated as a child.
     At 47, Couture is considered an elder statesman of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and yet continues to compete at the grueling sport’s highest echelon.
     “He is an amazing example of what can be done with extreme dedication,” Walsh says.

“The Body Issue” airs Thursday, October 7 on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD at 10 pm PT. Program listings can be viewed at ESPN’s website.