Sean Sherk
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sean Sherk | |
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| Born | Sean Keith Sherk August 5, 1973 St. Francis, Minnesota |
| Other names | The Muscle Shark |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |
| Division | 155 (2006–present) 170 (1999–2006) |
| Reach | 67.0 in (170 cm) |
| Style | Wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing |
| Fighting out of | Oak Grove, Minnesota |
| Team | Minnesota Martial Arts Academy |
| Trainer | Greg Nelson |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| MMA record | |
| Total | 38 |
| Wins | 33 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| By submission | 12 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Amateur career | |
| Total | 2 |
| Wins | 2 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Other information | |
| Spouse | Heather |
| Children | 2 |
| Official website | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
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Sean Keith Sherk (born August 5, 1973) is an American mixed martial arts fighter currently fighting for UFC. He currently holds a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record of thirty-three wins, four losses, and one draw. Sherk has fought in both the UFC and Pride FC, and is a one-time UFC Lightweight Champion.
Sherk began fighting MMA in June 1999, where he originally fought at the welterweight weight-class. During his time as a welterweight, Sherk suffered two losses; one to Matt Hughes and one to Georges St. Pierre. In 2006, Sherk decided to drop down to the lightweight class of 155 lb. In his first fight as a lightweight, Sherk defeated Kenny Florian to become the first UFC Lightweight Champion in over four years. After his first successful defense with the title, Sherk was stripped of the title after testing positive for steroids, an accusation he unsuccessfully fought against in a series of controversial hearings. Upon his return in May 2008, Sherk failed to win back the title from the champion, B.J. Penn.
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[edit] Martial arts background
Sean Sherk was born on August 5, 1973 in St. Francis, Minnesota.[1] Sherk began wrestling at age seven.[1] He continued to wrestle for eleven years, and in that time he wrestled over 400 matches.[2] After finding Greg Nelson's Minnesota Martial Arts Academy in 1994,[3] Sherk began to practice boxing, shoot wrestling, and Muay Thai.[1] In 1999, Sherk defeated Roscoe Ostyn by decision in his first MMA fight.[4]
[edit] Mixed martial arts career
Sherk began his mixed martial arts career in 1999, where he went on an eight-fight win streak before signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2001.[4] Sherk fought only two fights before leaving the UFC. He eventually came back and fought Matt Hughes for the UFC Welterweight Championship. He lost the match and went on to sign with Pride Fighting Championships (Pride).[4] In 2005, Sherk re-signed with the UFC and lost to Georges St. Pierre.[5]
[edit] UFC (2001–2003)
Sherk made his UFC debut at UFC 30, where he defeated Tiki Ghosn.[4] After going 5-0-1 outside the UFC, he was brought back to fight Jutaro Nakao at UFC 36, a fight which Sherk won via unanimous decision.[4] On September 27, 2002, at UFC 39, Sherk defeated Benji Radach when the fight was stopped due to a cut Radach had received.[4]
Sherk was then chosen to fight Matt Hughes for the UFC Welterweight Championship on April 25, 2003. Sherk lost the fight via unanimous decision after going five five-minute rounds.[4] Sherk won two of the overall five rounds, becoming the first fighter to ever fight a full five round fight with then-champion Matt Hughes.[6]
[edit] Pride (2004)
Following his loss to Hughes, Sherk fought three more times in 2003, winning all three bouts.[4] In 2004, he signed with Pride and made his debut with the Japanese-based organization at Pride Bushido 2. Sherk defeated Ryuki Ueyama via unanimous decision, in what was his only outing in the company.[4]
According to Sean Sherk's website, the Japanese fans are the ones responsible for giving him the nickname "The Muscle Shark." While he was popular in Japan, Sherk found it difficult to travel and support his family and found he could make a better living fighting as a main event on local shows. He also cited his lack of health insurance for making this decision.
[edit] Return to the UFC and steroid allegations (2005–present)
Sherk was invited back to the UFC in 2005 for a fight with Georges St. Pierre. Sherk lost by TKO,[5] but was given another fight in the UFC at UFC 59, where he defeated Nick Diaz via unanimous decision.[7] During the post-fight interview, Sherk stated his intention to drop down in weight to the lightweight division.[7] In October 2006, at UFC 64, Sherk defeated Kenny Florian via unanimous decision to win the UFC Lightweight Championship.[8] With this win, Sherk became the first UFC Lightweight Champion since Jens Pulver vacated the title in 2002.[8] Sherk fought the bout with a torn rotator cuff and was forced to rehabilitate afterwards.[9]
In July 2007, Sherk successfully defended his title against Hermes Franca at UFC 73.[10] After the fight, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) announced that Sherk had tested positive for Nandrolone, a banned steroid, in a urine test the day prior to the fight. After testing positive for twelve ng/ml of Nandrolone, Sherk was fined $2,500 and suspended from competing in California for one year.[11] Sherk's suspension was reduced to six months after appealing his allegations on December 4, 2007, making him eligible to fight in early January 2008.[12] Sherk claimed errors were made in lab testing procedures. He claimed that failure of the lab to properly test the vials used in the earlier, positive tests for any remaining steroid content may have resulted in his sample becoming contaminated.[13] However, Quest Diagnostics and the CSAC denied any errors were made.[13]
Following the CSAC's decision to uphold the results of the positive steroid test, the UFC officially stripped Sherk of his Lightweight Championship.[14] At UFC 80, B.J. Penn defeated Joe Stevenson to win the vacant title.[15] After the fight, UFC president Dana White announced that Penn's first title defense would be against Sherk, who was reinstated by UFC in April 2008.[16] Sherk and Penn fought at UFC 84 on May 24, 2008. Penn defeated Sherk by TKO after being caught by a flying knee and multiple clean shots to the face. Sherk was unable to continue at the end of the third round.[17]
Sherk fought Tyson Griffin at UFC 90: Silva vs Cote. He defeated Griffin via unanimous decision.
Sherk next fought Frank Edgar at UFC 98 He lost via unanimous decision. Sherk again found himself in trouble with an athletic commission post fight, after he ran from the arena before supplying a post fight urinalysis. He was contacted by commission officer Keith Kizer and told to return to the arena immediately or face his license being revoked. Sherk returned within the hour and provided a urinalysis, but was still suspended 45 days for the actions.[18]
Sherk was unable to step into the octagon to face Gleison Tibau at UFC 104 because of an injury. He was be replaced by Josh Neer.[19]
Sherk was expected to face Rafaello Oliveira on January 2, 2010 at UFC 108.[20] However, due to an injure to Tyson Griffin, Sherk was promoted to the main card to fight Jim Miller. [21] Sherk will not compete at UFC 108, pulling out due to Injury. Sherk suffered a cut above his right eye requiring several stitches.
[edit] Personal life
Sherk and his wife have two sons, Kyler and Tegan.[1] Sean was captain of his high school football and color guard team. He currently coaches a team of fighters with coaches Greg Nelson, Nat McIntyre, Andy Grahn, Ryan Murray,Tom Schmitz and Ishmael Bentley at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy.[22] Other fighters include Brock Lesnar, Brock Larson, Nick Thompson, Logan Clark, Jacob Volkmann, Kaitlin Young and Saul Mitchell[23]
[edit] Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 38 matches | 33 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 2 |
| By submission | 12 | 0 |
| By decision | 11 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| 33 wins, 4 losses, 1 draw[4] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record | Result | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| 33–4–1 | Loss |  Frank Edgar |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 98: Evans vs Machida | 2009-05-23 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |
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| 33–3–1 | Win | Tyson Griffin |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 90: Silva vs Cote | 2008-10-25 | 3 | 5:00 | Rosemont, Illinois, US |
Won Fight of The Night |
| 32–3–1 | Loss | B.J. Penn |
TKO (strikes) | UFC 84: Ill Will | 2008-05-24 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |
For UFC Lightweight Championship |
| 32–2–1 | Win |  Hermes Franca |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 73: Stacked | 2007-07-07 | 5 | 5:00 | Sacramento, California, US |
Defended UFC Lightweight Championship; |
| 31–2–1 | Win | Kenny Florian |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 64: Unstoppable | 2006-10-14 | 5 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |
Won UFC Lightweight Championship |
| 30–2–1 | Win | Nick Diaz |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 59: Reality Check | 2006-04-15 | 3 | 5:00 | Anaheim, California, US |
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| 29–2–1 | Loss |  Georges St. Pierre |
TKO (Strikes) | UFC 56: Full Force | 2005-11-19 | 2 | 2:53 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |
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| 29–1–1 | Win | Joel Blanton |
Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | BP: Pride and Glory | 2005-09-17 | 1 | 2:02 | Georgia, US |
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| 28–1–1 | Win | Lee King |
Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) | Extreme Challenge 60 | 2004-11-12 | 1 | 2:20 | Medina, Minnesota, US |
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| 27–1–1 | Win | Brodie Farber |
Submission (Choke) | SF 6: Battleground in Reno | 2004-09-23 | 1 | 0:55 | Reno, Nevada, US |
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| 26–1–1 | Win | Darin Brudigan |
Submission (Arm Triangle Choke) | Cage Fighting Xtreme 2 | 2004-09-04 | 1 | 1:30 | Brainerd, Minnesota, US |
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| 25–1–1 | Win | Gerald Strebendt |
TKO | Extreme Challenge 58 | 2004-06-11 | 1 | 3:52 | Medina, Minnesota, US |
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| 24–1–1 | Win | Eric Heinz |
Submission (Neck Crank) | Pride and Fury | 2004-06-03 | 1 | 0:58 | Worley, Idaho, US |
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| 23–1–1 | Win | Jake Short |
Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | ICC: Trials 2 | 2004-04-30 | 1 | 2:51 | Minnesota, US |
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| 22–1–1 | Win | Kaleo Padilla |
Submission (Neck Crank) | You Think You're Tough | 2004-04-17 | 2 | 1:17 | Kona, Hawaii, US |
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| 21–1–1 | Win |  Ryuki Ueyama |
Decision (Unanimous) | Pride: Bushido 2 | 2004-02-15 | 2 | 5:00 | Yokohama, Japan |
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| 20–1–1 | Win | Charles Taylor |
Submission (Keylock) | EP: XXXtreme Impact | 2003-12-28 | 2 | 0:58 |  Tijuana, Mexico |
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| 19–1–1 | Win | Mark Long |
TKO (Strikes) | Extreme Combat | 2003-12-12 | 1 | 0:42 | Fridley, Minnesota, US |
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| 18–1–1 | Win | John Alexander |
TKO | Extreme Combat | 2003-08-02 | 1 | 1:57 | Anoka, Minnesota, US |
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| 17–1–1 | Loss | Matt Hughes |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 42: Sudden Impact | 2003-04-25 | 5 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, US |
For UFC Welterweight Championship |
| 17–0–1 | Win | John Alexander |
Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | Extreme Combat 2 | 2002-12-07 | 1 | 1:28 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, US |
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| 16–0–1 | Win | Benji Radach |
TKO (Cut) | UFC 39: The Warriors Return | 2002-09-27 | 1 | 4:16 | Uncasville, Connecticut, US |
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| 15–0–1 | Win | Jutaro Nakao |
Decision (Unanimous) | UFC 36: Worlds Collide | 2002-03-22 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, US |
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| 14–0–1 | Win | Claudionor Fontinelle |
Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | UCC 6: Redemption | 2001-10-19 | 2 | 1:04 | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
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| 13–0–1 | Draw | Kiuma Kunioku |
Draw | Pancrase: 2001 Neo-Blood Tournament, Round 2 | 2001-07-29 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan |
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| 13–0 | Win | Curtis Brigham |
TKO (Towel) | UW: St. Paul | 2001-07-15 | 3 | 1:15 | St. Paul, Minnesota, US |
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| 12–0 | Win | Jason Purcell |
TKO | UW: Ultimate Fight Minnesota | 2001-06-02 | 1 | 1:42 | Bloomington, Minnesota, US |
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| 11–0 | Win | Marty Armendarez |
TKO (Punches) | KOTC 8: Bombs Away | 2001-04-29 | 3 | 2:07 | Williams, California, US |
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| 10–0 | Win |  Manvel Gamburyan |
Decision | Reality Submission Fighting 3 | 2001-03-30 | 1 | 18:00 | Belleville, Illinois, US |
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| 9–0 | Win | Tiki Ghosn |
Submission (Shoulder Dislocated) | UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk | 2001-02-23 | 2 | 4:47 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, US |
UFC debut |
| 8–0 | Win | Karo Parisyan |
TKO (Corner Stoppage) | Reality Submission Fighting 2 | 2001-01-05 | 1 | 16:20 | Belleville, Illinois, US |
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| 7–0 | Win | Ken Parham |
Decision | Submission Fighting Championships | 2000-11-03 | 2 | 5:00 | Collinsville, Illinois, US |
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| 6–0 | Win | Karo Parisyan |
Decision | Reality Submission Fighting 1 | 2000-10-10 | 1 | 18:00 | Belleville, Illinois, US |
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| 5–0 | Win | Steve Gomm |
Decision | Extreme Challenge 28 | 1999-10-09 | 1 | 10:00 | Ogden, Utah, US |
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| 4–0 | Win | Scott Bills |
Decision | Extreme Challenge 28 | 1999-10-09 | 1 | 10:00 | Ogden, Utah, US |
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| 3–0 | Win | Kurtis Jensen |
TKO (punches) | Extreme Challenge: Trials | 1999-10-04 | 1 | 1:00 | Mason City, Iowa, US |
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| 2–0 | Win | Johnnie Holland |
Submission (Keylock) | Ultimate Wrestling | 1999-08-13 | 2 | 2:10 | Bloomington, Minnesota, US |
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| 1–0 | Win | Roscoe Ostyn |
Decision (unanimous) | Dangerzone – Mahnomen | 1999-06-19 | 3 | 3:00 | Mahnomen, Minnesota, US |
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[edit] Championships and accomplishments
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e "Sean Sherk bio". SheanSherk.com. http://seansherk.com/?page_id=3. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ Peterson, Fredrick (May 14, 2008). "Sean Sherk profile". 411mania.com. http://www.411mania.com/MMA/columns/75492. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ "Sean Sherk fighter profile". Minnesota Martial Arts Academy. http://www.mmaacombatzone.com/mmaa_people_fighters.php?pg=fighters&sel_record=15&subject=&action=. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "MMA record for Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk". Sherdog. http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Sean-Sherk-277. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ a b UFC 56: Full Force. [DVD]. Las Vegas, Nevada: Ultimate Fighting Championship. 2006.
- ^ UFC 42: Sudden Impact. [DVD]. Las Vegas, Nevada: Ultimate Fighting Championship. 2003.
- ^ a b UFC 59: Reality Check. [DVD]. Las Vegas, Nevada: Ultimate Fighting Championship. 2006.
- ^ a b UFC 64: Unstoppable. [DVD]. Las Vegas, Nevada: Ultimate Fighting Championship. 2007.
- ^ "Kevin Randleman at a crossroads". MMAWeekly.com. February 18, 2007. http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=3455&zoneid=13. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ UFC 73: Stacked. [DVD]. Las Vegas, Nevada: Ultimate Fighting Championship. 2007.
- ^ Gross, Jeff (July 19, 2007). "UFC 155 lb (70 kg). Champion, Challenger Positive for Steroids". Sherdog. http://sherdog.com/news/news/ufc-155-lb-champion-challenger-positive-for-steroids-8333. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ "UFC Champ, Sean Sherk's Suspension Reduced". MMA Weekly. December 4, 2007. http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=5201&zoneid=13. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ a b Zeidler, Ben (December 20, 2007). "One-on-one with Sean Sherk". MMA Madness. http://www.mmamadness.com/insight.html?newsitem_id=193. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ "Sherk Stripped of UFC Belt". Sherdog. December 9, 2007. http://www.sherdog.com/news/news.asp?n_id=10289. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
- ^ UFC 80: Rapid Fire. [DVD]. Las Vegas, Nevada: Ultimate Fighting Championship. 2008.
- ^ Wilkins, Matt (January 20, 2008). "Dana White Confirms Penn vs. Sherk and More". MMA Weekly. http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=5500&zoneid=13. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
- ^ "UFC 84: Ill Will results". Ultimate Fighting Championship. http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=eventdetail.fightCard&eid=1105. Retrieved August 9, 2008.
- ^ http://www.sherdog.com/news/articles/blog-greg-jackson-talks-yoshida-17642
- ^ Savage, Greg. "Neer Replaces Sherk at UFC 104". sherdog.com. http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/neer-replaces-sherk-at-ufc-104-19457. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
- ^ "UFC 108: Sean Sherk vs Rafael Oliveira on tap for Jan. 2". mmamania.com. http://www.mmamania.com/2009/11/12/ufc-108-sean-sherk-vs-rafael-oliveira-on-tap-for-jan-2/. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ "Sean Sherk promoted to "UFC 108: Evans vs. Silva" main card, faces Jim Miller". mmajunkie.com. http://mmajunkie.com/news/17178/sean-sherk-promoted-to-ufc-108-main-card-faces-jim-miller.mma. Retrieved 2009-11-12.
- ^ "Minnesota Martial Arts Academy Staff". http://www.mmaacombatzone.com/mmaa_people_staff.php?pg=staff.
- ^ "Minnesota Martial Arts Academy Fighters". http://www.mmaacombatzone.com/mmaa_people_fighters.php?pg=fighters&active=yes&fighter=yes.
[edit] External links
- Official site
- Official UFC.com profile
- Official MySpage page
- Professional MMA record for Sean Sherk from Sherdog
| Vacant
Title last held by
Jens Pulver |
2nd UFC Lightweight Champion October 14, 2006 - December 8, 2007 |
Vacant
Sherk stripped of title
Title next held by
B.J. Penn |
