'"The Muscle Shark" Sean Keith Sherk' (born
August 5,
1973) is an
American mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. As of
October 14,
2006, he holds a professional mixed martial arts record of 31-2-1. He has fought in both the
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and
PRIDE Fighting Championships, and draws comparisons in style and body type to American
wrestler and former UFC
welterweight champion
Matt Hughes.
Sherk became the UFC
lightweight champion on
October 14,
2006 at ''
UFC 64''. He is only the second
UFC lightweight champion to date, and is the only champion since the division's reinstatement in 2006.
Sean Sherk is known for his wrestling fighting style.
Martial arts background
Sherk began wrestling at age seven. After searching for something to fulfill his athletic and competitive desires, he found Greg Nelson's Martial Arts Academy in Minnesota. He first trained in
Muay Thai and later began to combine
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with his wrestling ability. His coach, Greg Nelson, is closely affiliated with
Erik Paulson.
On July 19, 2007, the California State Athletic Commission released information stating that
UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk tested positive for the banned substance
Nandrolone Metabolite [1]
Mixed martial arts career
Sherk began his mixed martial arts career in 1999 at the Dangerzone MMA Event in Bonville, Minnesota. He opened his career with a twelve-fight win streak, including two notable victories over rising
Judo star
Karo Parisyan, and was picked up by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2001.
UFC contender
He made his UFC debut at ''
UFC 30'' where he defeated Tiki Ghosn. After going 5-0-1 outside of the UFC he was brought back to fight Jutaro Nakao at ''
UFC 36'', a fight in which Sherk won via unanimous decision. His next fight was on
September 27,
2002 against
Benji Radach at ''
UFC 39''. Sherk won the fight when it was stopped due to a cut Radach received.
Sherk was then chosen to fight Matt Hughes for the
UFC welterweight championship on
April 25,
2003. Sherk lost his title bid in a five round fight where he won two rounds, becoming only the second person ever to go five rounds with the champion, Hughes.
PRIDE FC
Following the fight with Hughes, Sherk fought three more times in 2003, winning all three bouts. In 2004 he signed with PRIDE and made his debut with the
Japanese-based organization at ''
PRIDE Bushido 2'', facing Ryuki Ueyama. Sherk won the fight via unanimous decision.
It was in
Japan where he adopted his nickname, "The Muscle Shark". The Japanese
katakana for ''Sherk'' is the same for ''shark''. Sherk's win in PRIDE would be his only outing in the company.
Layoff
Sherk then won seven-straight fights, all by submission or TKO, but still was not signed to the UFC or PRIDE. After the birth of his first child, he retired from the sport of mixed martial arts and got a job in the
flooring business. When he left, he was embittered since the ''
The Ultimate Fighter''
reality TV show started, and all these new fighters were getting national exposure, while he was unable to get fights.
[1]
Return to the UFC
The UFC had experienced a growth in popularity after the first season of ''
The Ultimate Fighter''. After his coach suggested that he start teaching classes and speaking with his old manager, Monte Cox, Sherk began training for a return to professional mixed martial arts. He defeated Joel Blanton, and then was invited back to the UFC for a fight with welterweight contender,
Georges St. Pierre. Sherk lost by TKO due to strikes, but was given another fight in the UFC at ''
UFC 59'', where he defeated
Nick Diaz by unanimous decision, earning his first victory in the organization since 2002. During the post-fight interview, Sherk stated his intention to drop down in weight to the lightweight division.
Lighweight championship; controversy
Six months later, Sherk won the UFC lightweight championship at ''
UFC 64'', defeating ''
The Ultimate Fighter 1'' finalist
Kenny Florian by unanimous decision. With his win he became the second champion in the UFC's lightweight division since
Jens Pulver vacated the title in 2002. However, before the title bout Sherk tore his
rotator cuff and had to take a break to rehabilitate.
He successfully defended his title against
Hermes Franca at ''
UFC 73'' on
July 7,
2007, winning by unanimous decision after five rounds. On
July 19,
2007 the California State Athletic Commission announced that Sherk and Franca had both tested positive for banned
steroids in post-fight drug tests. After testing positive for
Nandrolone, Sherk was fined $2,500 and suspended from competing in
California until
July 6,
2008. He has since filed an extension for his appeal hearing.
[2]
Personal life
Sherk and his wife, Heather, have two sons, Kyler and Tegan.
[3]
Trivia
★ Sherk trains with close friend and coach
Erik Paulson. His training partners include UFC veterans Brock Larson,
Dave Menne, and Nick Thompson.
★ He currently coaches a team of fighters with coaches Greg Nelson, Nat McIntyre, Andy Grahn, Ryan Murray, Ishmael Bentley, and Rick Noyes at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy.
★ Sherk loves
pit bulls.
3
★ Sherk is an avid fan of the television series ''
Friends'' and ''
Entourage''.
3
★ He cites
Metallica,
Linkin Park,
Stone Sour,
Disturbed, and
Korn among his favorite bands, and typically makes his pre-fight entrance to the song ''Wait'' by
Earshot.
★ Sherk is sponsored by Xyience, Warrior Wear, American Fighter, and Frontier Homes.
Mixed martial arts record
| Total | 31 Wins | 2 Losses |
|---|
| 34 matches | (T)Knockout | 8 | 1 |
| Submission | 13 | 0 |
| Decision | 11 | 1 |
| Draw | 1 |
| No Contest | 0 |
External links
★
Official Site
★
PRIDE profile
★
UFC profile
★
References
1. Sean Sherk's Second Chance
2. UFC's Sherk, Franca get one-year suspensions for failing drug tests
3. Bio
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