Image via Sean Sherk’s Facebook Profile
UFC lightweight Sean Sherk has decided to hang up the gloves, ending a 14-year run in the fighting game. This news was broke by Sherk on Ariel Helwani’s show, The MMA Hour. Sherk was last seen inside the UFC octagon back in 2010 against Evan Dunham. Sherk was awarded the controversial victory, but nagging injuries forced him to finally call it a career.
Sherk is a pioneer of the sport, and put on many wars with some great fighters over the years. When it’s all said and done with, Sherk retires with a record of 36-4-1. Sherk has beated a who’s who of MMA, including Karo Parisyan, Nick Diaz, Kenny Florian, Hermes Franca, Tyson Griffin and Evan Dunham.
The pinnacle and highlight of his career was when he defeated Florian, allowing him to capture the UFC lightweight championship. In this championship bout, Sherk was able to use his dominate wrestling to take Florian down over and over.
It was a bloody war from start to finish, and this type of fight epitomizes the fighting style that Sherk brought with him whenever he stepped inside the cage.
It’s sad to see Sherk retire, as he was always in entertaining fights, and remained competitive against whoever was put in the cage across from him. Now, he gets the chance to reflect on his great moments and move on with his life.
Whether he is training fighters or running a gym, he will always be a fan favorite, and goes down as one of the better lightweights in UFC history.
