MMAVu

This Saturday at UFC 84 Sean Sherk faces BJ Penn in the biggest fight of his life. For Sherk, this fight is bigger than when he challenged Matt Hughes for the welterweight crown in 2003. Sherk is coming off of a suspension by the CSAC after testing positive for the steroid nandrolone. Despite his vehement claims of innocence, his lie detector tests and evidence, his image may be permanently scarred.

His most vocal detractor has been his opponent at UFC 84, BJ Penn. Penn has gone online, on print and on air about his disdain for “cheaters” and how Sherk has “perverted” the sport due to getting busted for steroids. After Penn soundly defeated Joe Stevenson for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 80, Penn called out Sherk and said, “Sean Sherk, you’re dead.”

All of this trash talking obviously doesn’t sit well with Sherk, who claims he has turned a deaf ear to it all.

“People are telling me that he is talking a bunch of trash. He’s the kind of guy that likes to stir things up. It probably hypes him up. I could really care less. I know what I need to do to win this fight and that’s what I’m focusing on.”

If Sherk wins, it shows he did what he did on his own attrition and that the test was a false positive because leading up to this fight, both fighters were tested well in advance, not just afterwards. If Sherk loses, it will give Penn and all of his detractors license to talk smack about is accomplishments, even if Sherk does have an impeccable 32-2-1 record.

Saturday night will determine how Sherk is remembered in history. A fighter unjustly villified after a botched steroid test, or a tainted fighter of Barry Bonds proportions.