Sean Sherk History

Sean Keith Sherk, who had the distinction of being one of the longest undefeated streaks in the history of mixed martial arts, is regarded by many as one of the greatest lightweight competitors of his era.

Born on August 5, 1973 in Minnesota, Sean Sherk started wrestling at the young age of seven. Sean wrestled in more than 400 matches in eleven years and then moved on to practicing Muay Thai, wrestling, and boxing. In 1999, Sherk defeated Roscoe Ostyn by decision in his first MMA fight and enjoyed an eight-fight winning streak before he signed with the UFC in 2001. At UFC30, Sean made his official UFC debut and won against Jutaro Nakao at UFC 36 via unanimous decision. Sherk then won two of the overall five rounds in a back and forth battle at the UFC Welterweight Championship 2003 to become the first and only UFC fighter to ever fight a full five round fight with the then-champion Matt Hughes.

Nicknamed "The Muscle Shark," Shark won the UFC Lightweight Championship where he defeated Kenny Florian via unanimous decision at UFC 64 in October 2006. He then defended his title against Hermes Franca at UFC 73 in July 2007. Sean Sherk tested positive for Nandrolone metabolites during this fight against Hermes Franca, who also tested positive for anabolic steroids. Sherk had won the fight with a five-round unanimous decision over Franca. Both UFC fighters received a one year suspension by the California State Athletic Commission and was fined $2,500. Franca admitted to using Drostanolone while Sherk denied doping allegations.

Citing errors in lab procedures, Sherk said the suspension has cost him around$500,000 in prize money, sponsorship and advertising, in addition to $20,000 in legal fees. He said the way in which the California State Athletic Commission conducted itself was very unprofessional. His suspension was later reduced to six months.

On 2nd September 2013, Sean Sherk announced his official retirement from mixed martial arts competition.