Issue 037

May 2008

Sean Sherk is looking to win back his reputation, fans and his championship belt against BJ Penn. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight has been pursuing the dream of being a UFC champion for the majority of his career, and after defeating Kenny Florian for the lightweight title, that dream came to fruition. 

However, a successful defence against Hermes Franca would end up turning out horrendously when Sherk tested positive for steroids after the victory. Despite insisting he did not take any banned substances and going through a lengthy appeal process, Sherk was stripped of the title. 

Standing in his way to reach his goal once again is BJ Penn. Winning the vacant lightweight belt in a bout with Joe Stevenson, Penn now holds the strap Sherk feels rightly belongs around his waist. The confusion as to the real champion will be settled in May when the two square off to figure out who is the undisputed champ at 155lb. 

The hype leading up to this fight has been heated. Penn has been very vocal about Sherk’s positive steroid test, and repeatedly has called the former lightweight champ a ‘cheater.’ Sherk has always been a professional and mild-mannered interviewee, but the gloves are off against Penn. Sherk isn’t hesitating to criticize Penn these days, as BJ has been firing from the tongue aplenty according to Sherk. “To be honest with you, BJ’s got a big mouth”, states Sherk plainly. “I think he’s one of those guys who has to hate you to fight you, so he’s been talking a lot of smack about me for probably that reason.”

Another theory of Sherk’s surrounding the excessive talk coming from Penn is that the Hawaiian is trying to add more credibility to his UFC belt, as he didn’t beat the last champion to secure it. “I think he wants to bring more legitimacy to his UFC belt. So he wants to say, ‘Oh, Sherk’s a cheater, Sherk does this and Sherk does that’, you know, fuck him,” comments Sherk in irritation. 

“I have so much evidence to show that I didn’t take steroids and if you’re stupid enough not to look at the evidence then that’s your problem.” As he was never defeated for the belt, Sherk still feels the title resting on the mantlepiece in his home is the true lightweight title. “He wants to bring legitimacy to that belt because otherwise the belt’s not really worth crap,” adds Sherk. “I think he’s got to beat me to be the UFC champ, that’s the way I feel about it.” 

The feeling of many fans seems to have changed towards Sherk after the positive test result. Newcastle fans didn’t hesitate to boo Sherk at UFC 80 when he came into the cage after Penn challenged him. Sherk wasn’t too impressed. “I’ve never been booed before, I thought that was pretty disrespectful,” says Sherk. “I was signing autographs, taking pictures, I’ve been nothing but respectful to the fans so I thought that was pretty disrespectful.” Though a crowd of thousands turned on him that evening, in one-on-one situations, Sherk hasn’t seen a change. “I’ve noticed a difference, but not to my face, I’ve never had a fan walk up to me and talk shit to my face before, fans have always been respectful to me to my face,” says Sherk. “Behind closed doors, who knows? I don’t spend any time on the Internet reading up on anything that’s going on. I live my life and do what I need to do to get to where I want to be.”

Swaying public opinion isn’t the primary concern for Sherk these days. With a fight with Penn on his agenda, Sherk is thinking about nothing aside from focusing on the man considered by many as the most talented athlete in the sport. Penn poses a strong challenge to Sherk, and he knows it. However, Sherk doesn’t appear too intimidated by the challenge. “Maybe he thinks he’s a better boxer than me, and that’s fine if he thinks he does,” says Sherk. “He’s not a better wrestler than I am, he’s better at jiu-jitsu, but I’ve never been submitted and I don’t think he’s going to catch me with anything.” 

Sherk is making the appropriate adjustments to ensure nothing Penn throws at him will surprise him on the ground. “I’ve got to bring in guys that are at BJ’s level as far as jiu-jitsu is concerned, guys that have his flexibility, his technical ability, so he doesn’t hit me with anything I haven’t seen before,” says Sherk. “Basically no surprises, so I want to get in there and get used to seeing everything and just be prepared.”

Sherk’s fitness has been his strong suit throughout his career. With an inspiring work ethic and unyieldingly strict diet, Sherk has become one of the most well-conditioned athletes in the sport. Penn has been criticised in the past, even by himself, on relying too much on his talent and not dedicating himself to the fight game. He appears to have turned over a new leaf and is now taking the sport much more seriously and looking to begin a legacy in the sport. 

Sherk isn’t sold on the idea that Penn has become the poster child for cardiovascular endurance. “There’s only one way to get great cardio and that’s through hard work,” says Sherk. “If you’re not willing to put the time in and you’re not willing to make the sacrifice, then you’re not going to have great cardio. That’s just what it comes down to, it takes a lot of time, it takes a lot of work, it takes a lot of dedication. That’s something that I’ve always had. I’ve put everything in my life aside so I can perform at a high level.” 

Sacrifice is an essential part of the sport and what can separate a champion from a contender. “Some people aren’t willing to do that and it shows when they fight,” adds Sherk. “BJ says he’s got a new training camp and he’s got a dietician and all that shit. He still got tired in his last fight. Every time I see him fight he gets tired. It’s the lifestyle man, he doesn’t live the same lifestyle I live. There’s no way he’s going to have as good cardio as me because he doesn’t put the time in like I do.” 

The hours of hard work in training make the 25 minutes in the cage a lot smoother for Sherk. Having gone the full 25 minutes against both Kenny Florian and Hermes Franca, Sherk showed he is willing to go full force for five rounds. Versus Franca, Sherk kept an intense pace for the full 25 minutes. 

The striking should make for an interesting scenario. BJ Penn has achieved some success in the stand-up realm with KOs over Din Thomas and Caol Uno, while Sherk’s stand-up is often underrated and under-utilised. A talented wrestler, Sherk has been able to maul people to the mat and work his ground ‘n pound, but the stellar takedown defence of Penn will play into the fight, so if Sherk can’t take him to the mat he has to be prepared for a boxing contest too. 

“He’s got good hands and my hands are underestimated, so I don’t know, I guess we’ll just have to get out there and find out,” comments Sherk when asked about comparing the two fighters’ stand-up skills. The best display of boxing skill from Sherk’s end was against Nick Diaz. The lanky and scrappy striker Diaz was able to thwart Sherk’s takedowns and forced him into a striking war. With his boxing technique, Sherk was able to outscore Diaz on the feet and pick up the decision win. During the layoff from fighting due the suspension, Sherk has still been staying sharp in the gym. “I’m always in there trying to do something, trying to do some technique, keep sharp, doing drills to keep the attributes sharp,” states Sherk. “It’s not with the same intensity obviously, but you’re still in there doing something.” The stand-up portion of the fight with Penn will be another chance for Sherk to showcase how far along he has come with his boxing in the decade he’s been honing his craft. 

With two savvy and highly respected MMA veterans fighting, it’s interesting that this fight still has much to do in proving oneself. Sherk and Penn have proven a lot with their success in MMA, but both are looking to show what they’re made of when they tangle in May. Penn is looking to show he has dedicated himself as a true athlete, is living the life of a fighter and has no disparity compared to other lightweights in terms of cardio. 

Sherk is looking to clean any smudges that have marred his reputation, but more importantly, win back the belt he worked his whole professional MMA career to attain. Also, he wants to stick it to Penn. “I want redemption, I want that belt back, BJ is talking a lot of crap about me, I want to beat the crap out of him just for that reason alone,” says Sherk. 

“I want that recognition of being UFC champion again.” Both fighters are certainly going to test each other’s skill and heart, which will bring out the best in them. It will be a perfect opportunity to let their true colours shine. “I can never gain back what I’ve lost by the accusation, the best I can do is get out here, reinvent myself and show the fans who I am.”

Text: Jatinder Dhoot

Photos: Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC