Sean Keith Sherk is best known in the world of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to hold one of the longest undefeated streaks in the history of mixed martial arts.
Considered by many as one of the greatest lightweight competitors of his era, Sean Sherk was born on August 5, 1973, in Minnesota. He started wrestling at the young age of seven and wrestled in more than 400 matches for eleven years. The American wrestler then started practicing shoot wrestling, boxing, and Muay Thai. In his first MMA fight, Sherk defeated Roscoe Ostyn by decision in 1999. He went on an eight-fight winning streak before he signed with the UFC in 2001.
Sean made his official UFC debut at UFC 30 and won against Jutaro Nakao at UFC 36 via unanimous decision. In a back and forth battle at the UFC Welterweight Championship 2003, Sherk won two of the overall five rounds to become the first and only UFC fighter to ever fight a full five round fight with Matt Hughes, the then-champion.
Nicknamed “The Muscle Shark,” Sean Shark won the UFC Lightweight Championship by defeating Kenny Florian via unanimous decision at UFC 64 in October 2006. Sherk went on to defend his title against Hermes Franca at UFC 73 in July 2007. The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) announced after the fight that Sean Sherk had tested positive for a banned steroid, Nandrolone (also known as Dianabol and Methandrostenolone). The CSAC suspended Sherk from competing in California for one year and fined him $2,500. Sherk appealed against the decision saying the laboratory had failed to properly test the vials and his sample may have become contaminated. His suspension was reduced to six months. The UFC officially stripped Sherk of his Lightweight Championship after CSAC announced its decision to uphold the results of the positive steroid test.
The now-retired American mixed martial artist and former UFC Lightweight Champion was one of the first combat fighters to have been a championship competitor in multiple weight divisions. Sean Keith also competed in PRIDE Fighting Championships and Pancrase (a mixed martial arts promotion company) where he was undefeated in both promotions. Sherk is best recognized for his important role in the resurgence of the UFC Lightweight division. Sherk became the first UFC Lightweight Champion and successfully defended the UFC Lightweight Championship against Hermes Franca at UFC 73: Stacked after he won the title against Kenny Florian at UFC 69: Shootout.
On 2nd September 2013, Sean Sherk announced his official retirement from mixed martial arts competition.
Sean Sherk and MMA 