Straight from the Shark's Mouth

Sean Sherk has been obstreperous in denying the steroid allegations that have plagued him since this summer, but I'm not wholly convinced that he's innocent. In fact, I'm not at all convinced.

In an interview before his UFC 73 fight with Hermes Franca, Sherk spoke about overcoming a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined for nearly a year:

"There was a lot of pressure I put on myself to get back sooner. I don’t like sitting on the sidelines. I’m a fighter. I don’t want to be the guy sitting on the couch watching all these other guys fight on TV and I’m eating potato chips. I want to get in there. I want to fight and defend my belt. I want to make some money. I want to train. I’m not used to sitting on the sidelines watching my training partners’ train, which I had to do unfortunately for eight-nine weeks. So I put a lot of pressure on myself to get back in there, get back in the gym and I spent a lot of time rehabbing. I was actually back on the mat 10 weeks after the surgery, which blew my physical therapist away."

Is it me, or doesn't this seem to be more like an excuse for taking steroids, rather than a flat-out denial? Sherk needed money; he needed to get out on the mat. I understand that. What I don't understand is exactly how he dealt with that pressure, and how, coincidentally, he tested positive for steroids.

Hermes Franca, who admitted to using banned substances, made an eerily similar statement after testing positive.

Am I crazy, or just a blatant BJ Penn fan?

The UFC Lightweight Title Picture Is a Mess

This is some of the stupidest shit I’ve heard in a long time.

According to a Yahoo! Sports article, UFC president Dana White said that BJ Penn and Joe “Daddy” Stevenson will fight for a lightweight belt in January at UFC 80, but Sean Sherk is going to remain the champion.

Apparently, White thinks that the way the CSAC has handled Sherk's steroids case “has been a mess,” and White isn’t ready to strip Sherk of his championship.

Instead, Penn and Stevenson will fight for the interim title at UFC 80, and the winner will face Sherk once Sherk's fate has been determined the CSAC.

To recap: BJ Penn and Joe Stevenson will fight for the interim lightweight title, and no matter who wins, Sherk still holds his belt. Brilliant.

Sherk Responds to CSAC Delay

Click here for a video of UFC lightweight Sean Sherk whining about having to clear his name, about losing out on fighting opportunities and sponsorship dollars, and about how he's not so sure any more that "the facts would speak for themselves."

BJ vs. Sherk or Joe Daddy for the Title

BJ Penn was most recently scheduled to fight for the UFC lightweight belt at UFC 79 on December 29, but it seems now that the UFC is looking to hold this fight sometime in early February, The Fight Network is reporting. Across the cage from BJ will be either (tainted) UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk or top contender Joe Stevenson. Joe Daddy told The Fight Network that if Sherk’s steroid-related suspension is not reduced (he appeals to the CSAC on October 31), he’ll gladly fill in for Sherk. For more on this, click here.

Straight Talk

"I don’t think he (Sean Sherk)’s a liar. You can look at him and the guy looks like a bodybuilder and whatever. This is a kid who won’t walk through the casino 'cause he doesn’t want to inhale smoke. He tells me he didn’t take steroids, I believe him, but it’s not up to me. It’s up to the California State Athletic Commission. We’ll see what happens. If they find him guilty of taking steroids, yeah, he’ll be suspended and he’ll lose his title."

- UFC president Dana White talks about UFC lightweight champ

Thompson Stands Firmly Behind Sherk

Bodog welterweight Nick "The Goat" Thompson, a close friend and top training partner of UFC lightweight champ Sean Sherk, recently weighed in on Sherk testing positive for banned substances. The following are taken from Thompson's InsideFighting.com column:

- "Sean is the, not one of, but actually the hardest working person I have ever met. Fans and even other fighters have accused Sean of using steroids because of the way he looks. Come to the gym, see him workout."

- "Not only is Sean a hard worker, he is a good person. I have never seen Sean lie not even white lies. Sean’s word is gold. If he tells you he is going to do something, its money in the bank."

- "I ask that fans wait until after his CSAC hearing before passing judgment. If Sean truly is innocent, as I believe, his name has already been unjustly tarnished."

I appreciate this point of view on the Sherk steroid scandal, and I commend Thompson for speaking his mind and sharing his feelings.

Click here to read the rest of what Thompson had to say.

Straight Talk

"I don't want this to take any longer than it has to, but I hired my lawyer just a couple of weeks ago. I want to get this done as soon as possible so I can fight B.J. [Penn] in November, but the next hearing wouldn't be until October."

- UFC lightweight champ Sean Sherk comments on his decision to file for an extension with the CSAC to dispute steroid-laden urine samples.

Sean Sherk Calls Out MySpace

The following is a bulletin that Sean Sherk sent out from his MySpace account:

Date: Jul 25, 2007 3:51 PM

Subject: Fans or not??

Body: "I have a myspace page so I can hear and talk with my fans. If you are not a fan of mine do not send me emails and delete me from your account. Do not send me an email message saying things that you would not be willing to say to my face!!!"

I'm very tempted to make a "Roidragesayswhat?" type of comment, but I'm actually a little scared now.

By the way, Sherk will be at the Mall of America this Saturday from 9am-12pm signing his signature Affliction t-shirt (1 autograph per fan). If you go, please tell Sherk that The Kodiak says he's the greatest.

Sherk: I Have Never Cheated

UFC lightweight champion (for now, at least) Sean Sherk has issued the following statement:

"At the present time, I cannot explain the positive drug test in Sacramento, California. I know that I have never used any steroids or other banned substances, and I am investigating possible causes of the positive test with my attorney. I have never cheated, and all of my success has come from hard work and dedication to my sport."

We'll see.

Morning Droppings

- Chris Leben will, in fact, be fighting on the September 19 UFC Fight Night 11 card after all. Leben will face the powerful Terry Martin, who most recently defeated Ivan Salaverry by dropping him on his head.

- UFC lightweight chump Sean Sherk has appealed the 365-day suspension and $2,500 fine from the CSAC after testing positive for banned substances. The hearing is set for August 6, after which the UFC will decide whether Sherk keeps his belt.

- Yesterday, Sherdog.com senior editor Josh Gross composed an open letter to UFC president Dana White regarding the Sherk/Franca/steroid debacle. Apparently, White read the letter and decided to answer with a letter of his own. Check it out. There's no verifying that the response letter is, in fact, from White himself, but the UFC president has been very vocal before about his disdain for Sherdog.com, and the language of the letter is very similar to that which Dana uses. You be the judge.

More on The Muscle Jerk

Disclaimer: I don’t really think Sean Sherk is a jerk, but it rhymes nicely.

I hate to beat a dead horse, but the more I think about it, the more I realize how damaging Sean Sherk’s positive test result really is.

First and foremost, Sherk is (or was) a world champion and was therefore in a position to effectively promote the UFC, the lightweight division, and the sport of mixed martial arts. Instead, he sullied it.

Most of all, he dealt a damaging blow to the UFC lightweight class. To the credit of Dana White and the fratelli Fertitta, the UFC's 155-lb. stable has risen back to prominence.

Ever since Sherk defeated Kenny Florian to become the UFC’s top 155-lb. fighter last October, the division has exploded with young talent, the return of BJ Penn, and a number of unforgettable matches. Roger Huerta vs. Leonard Garcia, Frankie Edgar vs. Tyson Griffin, Clay Guida vs. Tyson Griffin, Din Thomas vs. Clay Guida, and Sam Stout vs. Spencer Fisher are just a few that come to mind immediately. Should Sherk be stripped of his title – and he most likely will be - a vacant title or an interim champ belies an exceptionally talent-laden, competitive division.

Furthermore, in the words of the immortal Ric Flair, "To be the man, you gotta beat the man!" You’d be hard-pressed to find a fight fan who disagrees with Flair’s assessment, and I’m certainly not one of them. Unfortunately, it looks as if the next UFC lightweight champion will be the man without ever having beaten the man.

My biggest problem with Sherk - aside from his wanton cheating and running afoul of the law – is that he had almost 9 months to rehab after shoulder surgery (he had a tear and a cyst). If the injury facilitated the use of anabolic steroids – even after nearly a year of inactivity! – why not just let the UFC know of his condition?

After all, Hermes Franca said that his bum ankle prevented him from training as effectively as he would’ve liked, so rescheduling Sherk vs. Franca due to injury on both ends would certainly not be the end of the world, especially considering the already “stacked” card that UFC 73 boasted. Come to think of it, without Sherk vs. Franca, we probably would been shown the Frankie Edgar fight!

In an interview before his UFC 73 fight with Franca, Sherk spoke genuinely about his injury. In light of recent news, the following statement eerily suggests Sherk's setroid use:

There was a lot of pressure I put on myself to get back sooner. I don’t like sitting on the sidelines. I’m a fighter. I don’t want to be the guy sitting on the couch watching all these other guys fight on TV and I’m eating potato chips. I want to get in there. I want to fight and defend my belt. I want to make some money. I want to train. I’m not used to sitting on the sidelines watching my training partners’ train, which I had to do unfortunately for eight-nine weeks. So I put a lot of pressure on myself to get back in there, get back in the gym and I spent a lot of time rehabbing. I was actually back on the mat 10 weeks after the surgery, which blew my physical therapist away.

I, for one, do not sympathize with Sherk having to helplessly sit back and watch other fighters train and compete. The "pressure" he put on himself to get "back on the mat" smacks of desperation, and the desperate choices he made (according to his urine samples) may very well keep him out of action longer than he or anyone else would like.

Sean Sherk is looked up to as a fighter, as a champion, and as a father. I can only hope that news of steroid abuse will no longer mar the significant accomplishments of Sherk, of the UFC, and of mixed martial artists around the world.

And Now Sherk!!!

This is ri-goddamn-diculous!

UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk has tested positive for Nandrolone Metabolite. Sherk will be fined $2,500 and will be suspended through July 6, 2008.

I just got finished blasting Franca for testing positive, and this might be worse.

With Sherk suspended for a year, will the UFC strip him of his title or allow the belt to go undefended for an entire year? The lightweight division is loaded with talent, so I, for one, will be pissed off if Sherk retains the belt.

Previously, UFC champions who've tested positive (Josh Barnett, Tim Sylvia) were fined, suspended, and stripped of their belts.

Now that I think of it, whom will BJ Penn face if not Sherk? And what about the All Access Spike TV show about Sherk's tireless work ethic and training regimen?

This is going from bad to worse.

UFC 73 Ruminations

I re-watched UFC 73 last night and would like to share with you the follwing observations:

1) I'm still sour that the UFC did not televise Frankie Edgar's first-round TKO win over Mark Bocek. They could have shown it. There was plenty of time after the Florian-Robinson beating. Either way, I'm ready for Frankie Edgar vs. Roger Huerta.

2) Sean Sherk dominated Hermes Franca. There are really no two ways around it, but I think that finishing Franca would have sent a scary message to the rest of the division. After a while, Sherk's complete control became a bit predictable. Still, I am in awe of how he absolutely suffocated and manhandled a very tough opponent in Franca.

3) The Ortiz-Evans draw was better the second time around. I was impressed with Tito's aggression (especially the head kicks) and found Rashad's boxing to be underwhelming. Tito definitely doesn't like to get punched, and I feel that Rashad could have let his hands go in combinations.

For me, the best part of the fight was the clinch work against the cage when both fighters were working for position. I could see how it may bore some of you who aren't that into wrestling, but I really enjoyed it and appreciated how Tito looked to land some nasty elbows as the action broke from the fence. Nonetheless, I'm not dying to see the rematch, but I might be warming up to it a bit.

4) I love how Kenny Florian reminded the fans - and the rest of the 155-lb. division - that he finishes fights! Kenny looked excellent against a very powerful, very aggressive Alvin Robinson.

5) I thought that Nate Marquardt fought well, charging in immediately, grabbing Anderson Silva's leg and taking him down, and later taking a very heavy shot, only to drop down and go for another takedown. As for Silva, he looked phenomenal. Poised, confident, and almost surgical in his punches. I think that a rematch with Rich Franklin will once again go to Silva, and I think I'd rather see Franklin fight Marquardt. I see Marquardt taking Franklin down and beating him up on the ground.

6) Heath Herring is a guy I definitely hope to see more of. He landed some big shots, took some big shots, and showed tremendous skill on the ground against Nogueira.


As for that Round 1 head kick from Herring, I have no problem with referee Yves Levigne not stopping the fight. Nog looked dazed but didn't seem completely out of it (maybe just 90% out of it). Herring needed to have pounced with only seconds left in the round but instead waited for Levigne to stand Nog up, which he did -- eventually. I can understand Herring's hesitation to get into Nog's comfort zone on the ground, but that was ultimately his best opportunity all night.

Overall, I thought both fighters showed a lot of heart; Herring fought like a bastard against a more skilled opponent who's beaten him twice already, and Big Nog pressed on to win the fight after a head kick that would have put most men down for the night.

7) I would like to have seen the Bonnar/Nickels and Lytle/Gilliard fights, which were stopped in the very first round. The UFC should at least show highlight clips from the undercard fights, especially when they ended as quickly as these two did. Maybe next time.

8) It was very cool to see WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber in the crowd. My bet is that most fans had no idea who he was.

9) Mike Goldberg was OK. Nothing too stupid.

10) I'm sorry, but Bruce Buffer is insufferable. I don't care who his brother is, the UFC needs to jettison this dead wood. Even his suits sound terrible.

Straight Talk

“B.J. Penn is next for Sherk. In November.”

- Dana White talks UFC lightweight royalty.

Straight Talk

"I'm going to stop him. He doesn't have any cardio, and I don't think his work ethic's any good. So the longer the fight goes, the more tired he gets and I'm going to stop him.

"Either way would be great. It doesn't matter: a knockout on the feet would be great or a knockout on the ground, too. I've got no problem standing with him.

"He doesn't throw combos; he just throws haymakers. He tries to knock you out. He'll throw two punches at the most and then he'll stop and stare at you. As far as boxing goes, my boxing's 10 times better."

-Sean Sherk assesses his UFC 73 opponent, Hermes Franca.