Former NFL Player Battles TUF Veteran 'Noah'

Former Green Bay Packers running back, Herbert "Whisper" Goodman, will shoot for his third consecutive mixed martial arts victory when he faces The Ultimate Fighter season three cast member, Noah Inhofer, in a light heavyweight contest during the next installment of Gladiators Fighting on Saturday, April 7th at Green Bay, Wisconsin's K1 Convention Center.

Goodman, who played sparingly over the two years he was with the Packers (2000-02), is looking to make a name for himself as one of Gladiators Fighting's top Light Heavyweight MMA fighters.



Goodman spent two seasons as the promising understudy to Ahman Green and Dorsey Levens. The Packers cut him after training camp in 2003, but he's stayed in Green Bay and found a new sport that certainly peaks his interest.

Goodman, who works at Green Bay's Southwest High School as a student support assistant, trains six nights a week at Green Bay's House of Combat MMA gym and is quite passionate about his new sport. "It's just a real competitive sport. (I) wanted to find another sport to be competitive in. Once you learn the Jiu-Jitsu and things, it's real fun," Goodman said.

Goodman wowed the crowd in his Gladiators Fighting MMA debut when he completely dismantled Rapid River, Michigan's Michael Houlton by KO on November 11, 2006 in Green Bay. He picked up his second Gladiators Fighting victory January 27, 2007 in Oshkosh with a decisive KO victory over Marquette, Michigan's Muaythai specialist Tim Nixon :30 seconds into the second round of their MMA bout.

In the Houlton fight, Whisper was anything but quiet as he swiftly lifted his opponent over his head then violently slammed him down into the canvas, finally finishing Houlton off by knocking him out with a flying right hook 1:36 into the first round! The stunned crowd went wild. On a night filled with many exciting bouts, many fans said it was their favorite of the night!

Against Nixon, Goodman brushed off piercing knee strikes, shin kicks and punches like they were nothing, walking through them like he was swatting away flies. Regardless of who the matchmakers put in front of him, Whisper Goodman looks indestructible as one of Gladiators Fighting's most exciting fighters.

Inhofer was eliminated from "The Ultimate Fighter, " but he didn't didn’t leave the popular SpikeTV reality show in the conventional manner – by losing a fight.

Instead, the 24-year-old South Dakota native, who had already assured himself of a spot in the semifinals by virtue of his victory over Jesse Forbes in episode two, received an emergency letter from his girlfriend, provoking concern from his show housemates, who feared the worst.

As it turned out, the letter concerned Inhofer because his girlfriend of six months was upset because she thought he had cheated on her. A visibly upset Inhofer requested a phone call to smooth things over, a direct violation of show rules.

After a chat with UFC President Dana White, who reminded him of the opportunity he was about to throw away, Inhofer decided to leave the competition with just two weeks left in the house.

Inhofer has refocused and is on the comeback trail, but he'll definitely have his hands full with Goodman, the former NFL baller who is looking to make a name for himself as one of the sport's top ultimate fighters.

UFC 26 participant Adrian Serrano of Milwaukee, (WI) will be featured in a Middleweight (-185 lbs) MMA battle against Omaha, Nebraska's Matt Delanoit, while Green Bay's very own Jon "White Trash" Friedland will appear in a Welterweight (-170 lbs) MMA tussle witha yet to be named opponent as the "Baddest In The Bay's" 2 co-main event fights.

In a special Pride Fighting rules MMA bout, Milwaukee's Jay Ellis takes on Kenosha, Wisconsin's Joe Chacon in a battle between two of Gladiators Fighting's most exciting Welterweights.

Also appearing on the card from Green Bay are Dan Skenandore, Jason Schabo, Eric Streim, Josh Kasee, Tarl Potts and Tim Hiltsley, plus very special feature Women's "Gladiatrix" MMA featuring Green Bay's Chrissy Therch.

(Source)