Return to Arms
Jack Encarnacao
Fight Network Writter
POSTED: May 23, 2008 - 9:38 pm
CATEGORIES: mma
Sean Sherk has been a mixed martial artist since 1999, and he’s only lost two of his 35 fights. After he won the UFC lightweight title in October 2006, “The Muscle Shark” cemented his reputation as a powerful grappler and cardio freak whose overbearing style would help him keep an iron grip on the belt.
But resume and reputation aside, Sherk’s fights over the years have hardly been marquee matches. With the exception of a 2003 welterweight title bout against Matt Hughes, Sherk has never closed a show in the UFC. His pay-per-view fights as champion were paired with other title bouts, an indication that UFC officials did not view him as someone who could carry a big card. Then, in July of last year, the Minnesotan failed a California State Athletic Commission-administered drug test when high levels of Decadurabolin (Nandrolone), a muscle-building steroid, were found in his system.
Sherk may deny the steroid test was accurate, but it’s hard to deny that the controversy has brought him more attention than he’s ever had in his career. And in the mixed martial arts business, attention is never a bad thing.
His first match back after a suspension will come against B.J. Penn atop UFC 84: Ill Will on Saturday in Las Vegas. The lightweight title bout is the main event of the show, and it’s being hyped by the UFC as a clash between the two greatest lightweights ever. Sherk’s steroid test failure has supplied the loose-lipped Penn with plenty of quotable ammunition to establish a true grudge, a key ingredient in building a UFC pay-per-view that does above average numbers. The failure has also allowed the UFC to portray Sherk as a man seeking the ultimate redemption, even though he never lost the lightweight title in the cage. Because of his positive test, the stakes for Sherk are much higher than just winning and losing a belt, and that’s a tried-and-true hook for PPV fights.
“It makes for a better fight; it makes for a better storyline,” Sherk said. “Everyone wants to see it. If I win this fight Saturday night, then something great will come out of [the steroid controversy] – you know, two-time UFC world lightweight champion. That’s a pretty big deal.”
Ever since Penn proclaimed “Sean Sherk, you’re dead” after he beat Joe Stevenson at UFC 80 in January, the trash talking between the two lightweights has resulted in some of the most wide-ranging, interesting verbal tussles in UFC history.
During a teleconference for UFC 84, Penn went right for the jugular, voicing loud, brash skepticism about whether or not Sherk has ever done steroids and accusing him of perverting the purity of the sport. Sherk, who recently passed one of the first “offseason” drug tests administered by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, played it cool, lighting a fire under Penn when he said he felt no extra pressure for the UFC 84 fight.
“What about the pressure that you’re not going to be on the juice this time?” Penn asked. “You feel that pressure or what?”
Sherk laughed, then offered, “Come fight night, we’ll find out who the champ is, man.”
Penn responded with another challenge.
“Let’s do it like this … Sean Sherk, did you take any steroids for this fight? What about growth hormone? What about blood doping?” Penn asked. “Let me know. It’s going to all tell true when me and you are standing on the other side of the ring from each other.”
For all the media static around Sherk and steroids, it’s easy to forget that many causal fans of the UFC might be in the dark as to why he no longer holds the lightweight title. Not until the “Countdown to UFC 84” special premiered Tuesday on Spike TV, just days before Sherk’s next fight, did the UFC acknowledge on television why Penn had suddenly fought Stevenson for the same belt that Sherk never lost. That may be because UFC president Dana White has backed Sherk since day one and only begrudgingly stripped him of the title after he was suspended.
“I’ve known Sean for 10 years; he doesn’t look any different than he did 10 years ago,” White said. “I’ve seen guys in the UFC who have used steroids before. Guys get huge, go from fat to huge to fat, or skinny to big to skinny. You see a difference in the body. I’ve never seen that in him.”
Sherk spent tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees appealing what was at first a one-year commission suspension; it was later reduced to six months. He echoed White’s sentiments.
“There’s people that don’t believe me because of the way I look,” Sherk said. “All in all, I look the same, man. I don’t look any different than I’ve looked for the last 10 years. You’re telling me I’ve been doing steroids for 10 years? I mean, s—t man, I dropped down to 155, I look exactly the same as I did when I was fighting at [170]. Nothing’s changed. I look the same. I perform the same. I’m not doing anything different than I’ve ever done. It’s up to people to I guess do the research and discover the facts and decide what they want to think of this whole situation.”
Sherk seems to have come to terms with what happened, and it’s easy to see why. He could leave UFC 84 with the lightweight title, a win over a legend in the main event and all eyes on him. His steroid saga may have been anything but a positive for MMA as a whole, but Sherk may have it to thank for adding the elusive sizzle to the biggest fight of his career.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
AI
