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Redemption For Sean Sherk

Posted by Fighters.com Staff on May 17th, 2008

By Jon Grilz

“I’m ready to get in there and show everyone who the champ is,” Fighters.com’s fifth-ranked lightweight “Muscle Shark” Sean Sherk (32-2-1) told Fighters.com Thursday from the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy in Minneapolis.

At UFC 73 last July, then UFC Lightweight Champ Sherk defended his title by unanimous decision over Fighters.com’s eighth-ranked lightweight Hermes Franca (18-6).

In the post-fight drug test administered by the California State Athletic Commission, Sherk tested positive for the banned substance Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid that occurs naturally in the human body in small amounts.

After a lie detector test (which Sherk passed) and hearing, Sherk’s one-year suspension was reduced to six months and the UFC stripped him of the 155-pound title.

“Redemption,” Sherk described his UFC 84 match-up with current UFC Champ and fourth-ranked “Prodigy” BJ Penn (12-4-1). “I got my belt taken away for something I didn’t do. Beating one of the best guys in the world is a big part of it, too.”

Many critics contend Sherk shouldn’t be the top contender coming off his suspension.

“As the facts unfolded,” Sherk explained, “[UFC President Dana White] realized that I was telling the truth and he saw how the commission handled my case. So, with all that he felt that it was very important that I come back in as the number one contender.

“Realistically, me and BJ have been on track to fight for a long time. It’s a dream match-up. We’ve both been on top of the game for a long time; so, this is a great fight not only for us but for the fans.”

When the UFC began, the question was: Which combat style is most dominant? Sherk versus Penn, wrestler versus jiu-jitsu player, harkins back to those beginnings.

“Obviously, my wrestling is better than his wrestling and his jiu-jitsu is better than my jiu-jitsu,” Sherk claimed, but, “We are both mixed martial arts fighters. This fight is the fight that people are going to see all my attributes.”

Sherk has weathered seventh-ranked “KenFlo” Kenny Florian’s (9-3) sharp elbows, Francas knees, and lasted the distance against fifth-ranked welterweight Matt Hughes’s (42-6) wrestling, not to mention training under Pedro Sauer black belt Greg Nelson.

Sherk sized-up that Penn has “got some tricks; and, I’ve got some tricks to that he hasn’t seen before. It’s going to come down to who executes their game plan best.”

He believes, “BJ wants to get in there and win this one early. He’s got to know that a conditioning battle isn’t a good battle for him. So, I expect him to come out strong.

“I think that he’s going to be in better shape for this fight [than his last fight versus "Daddy" Joe Stevenson (28-8)]; but, Stevenson didn’t push him the way I’m going to push him. I’m going to test him. I’m going to try to push this thing as fast and hard as I can and see where his conditioning is.”

Penn isn’t known for being reserved. The Hawaiian has mocked Sherk’s suspension, steroid allegations, and even his size.

Sherk said, “That’s just his personality. I think he wants to hate people. Maybe it motivates him. And he wants to get into my head. A lot of people that fight BJ buy into the hype: ‘Ooo, he’s a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He’s the first American to win the BJJ Worlds.’ Big deal! I don’t care about any of that. Take away his flexibility and he’s just like any other guy I’ve fought. I don’t buy into the hype.”

Through the last tough ten months, Sherk has been thankful for his true fans.

“The people that have stood by my through the hard times, that’s when you find out who your real fans are,” Sherk confided. “Minnesota Marital Arts Academy and all my sponsors that stood by me: Island Supplements, MMA Overload, MTX Audio, Warrior Wear, and Affliction.”

In the end, it’s all about one thing Sean said, “I could have had a warm-up fight, didn’t feel like I needed it. I want to get back in there. I want to get this belt back and just want to get my career back on track.”