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BENT: Previewing UFC 98 - Sean Sherk vs. Frank Edgar
May 18, 2009 - 1:11:00 AM
BENT: Previewing UFC 98 - Sean Sherk vs. Frank Edgar
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By: Jason Bent, MMATorch Columnist
Our first fight of the main televised portion of UFC 98 has all the makings of an exciting one, as it is between two of the best lightweights in the UFC. Sean Sherk has always been a great fighter but he hasn't always been a great fighter to watch. His most recent performance has done a lot to change this perception of him, as he scored a victory over Tyson Griffin at UFC 90 in a fight which was awarded 'Fight of the Night' honors. What is somewhat interesting in terms of trivia is the fact that both Sherk and Edgar have unanimous decision victories over Tyson Griffin on their records, and both men's fight with Griffin was awarded 'Fight of the Night' honors. In some respect this is a crossroads bout, but more than anything this one is proof positive of Joe Silva's matchmaking abilities to say the least. Sherk needs to win if he wants to position himself for another crack at the championship and Edgar needs this win if he is going to ever get a chance to fight for the title. Both men should be sufficiently hungry and I firmly expect this opening bout to be one of the highlights of the evening.

Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk is a powerfully built freight train of a fighter with a spectacular wrestling base. His career record stands at 33-3-1 with 9 of those wins coming by way of KO and 12 of them by submission. He made his UFC debut at UFC 30 and here he is competing at UFC 98, which is indicative of his success in the sport but also makes it clear that he is on the wrong side of 30 in a sport which more often than not favors the young lions.

Sherk is 35 years old and he is in great shape, but it is his body which has been talked about more than his body of work, and this has been due to steroid allegations which were bolstered by his failed drug test. This failed test of course was what stripped him of his UFC Lightweight Championship following a decision win over Hermes Franca at UFC 73.

Once Sean Sherk was reinstated to fight in April of 2008 it was time for him to try and get his belt back by taking on B.J. Penn in a grudge match of sorts at UFC 84. The trash talk leading up to this fight was nearly as exciting as the fight itself which was a virtual clinic in striking from Penn. Sherk was dominated in every aspect of the fight game and thoroughly outclassed by the man many consider to be the best lightweight on the planet. In all honesty there may have been some shame in what led Sherk to lose his title in the first place, but there is none in losing to B.J. Penn who has the ability to beat just about anyone he faces.

Sherk has beaten the likes of Karo Parisyan, Benji Radach, Nick Diaz, Kenny Florian, Hermes Franca and Tyson Griffin. His only losses have come at the hands of Matt Hughes, Georges St. Pierre and B.J. Penn. Sherk was a top tier fighter who just couldn't get past the very best in the welterweight division, but once he dropped in weight he found the same exact hurdle in the form of B.J. Penn. Sherk in my opinion looks to be better suited for the lightweight division and especially so at his age as I think the strength difference will be able to offset any potential loss of quickness. His victory over Griffin at UFC 90 was a sight to behold and could be a harbinger of what is to come from him in the future and especially against Edgar at UFC 98.

Frankie "The Answer" Edgar also brings with him an excellent wrestling base although it certainly pales in comparison to Sherk's. Edgar is a scrappy fighter who embodies everything you would want in a fighter in terms of his heart. When Edgar fights it is a sure bet that his opponent will be in for the fight of his life and the fans are in line for a fight of the night. Edgar is only 27 years old and as such should be entering the prime of his career right now. His time has come to challenge those at the top of the division and in his eyes it is Sean Sherk who stands as the gatekeeper to B.J. Penn. If in fact Edgar can score a win over Sherk it will put him on the fast track to a title shot against the winner of Penn vs. Florian sometime in the fall or winter.

Frankie Edgar holds a career record of 9-1 with 2 wins coming by way of KO and 2 by submission. He amassed a record of 5-0 before getting the chance to compete in the UFC and he immediately stepped into deep waters against Tyson Griffin at UFC 67. Over the course of his relatively short career he has bested the likes of Jim Miller, Tyson Griffin, Mark Bocek, Spencer Fisher and Hermes Franca. The only blemish on his record is a decision loss to Gray Maynard from their fight at UFC Fight Night 13. Maynard's victory was not an inspired one and he merely used his size advantage to neutralize Edgar and go to the scorecards. This fight proved not that Maynard is the superior fighter but did prove that someone with size and a strong wrestling game will be able to keep Edgar from putting up much of a challenge. This is exactly what he is on for at UFC 98 as Sean Sherk is not only a huge challenge but clearly the biggest one of Edgar's career.

For Sean Sherk to win he is going to have to be in the same great shape that he always is in and he is going to need to bring to this fight what he brought against Griffin at UFC 90. Sherk will be fighting a foe who embodies all of the same attributes of himself albeit on a much lesser level. Edgar is everything that Sherk is except he simply isn't on the same level in any of those categories. So this one will be all about Sherk keeping pressure on Edgar while forcing his will on him until he breaks down or this one is over. Sherk's strength will be more than enough to bully Edgar but it is this coupled with his wrestling ability which should make this one relatively easy for him. This fight is easy as long as Sherk doesn't come into it expecting it to be; should he take Edgar lightly it could wind up as a huge upset. At this point I don't see Sherk taking anything lightly but of course I say this without seeing a urinalysis so who knows what he takes, but the one thing that is likely is victory over Edgar in a three round grinding out session.

For Frankie Edgar to win he is going to have to have learned from what Maynard did at UFC Fight Night 13 and have come up with some semblance of a game plan to try and prevent this one from happening again. If Maynard can bully Edgar it is a sure bet that Sherk could dominate him and emasculate him at the same time but Edgar is a live underdog in this bout. No one has ever submitted Sherk and regardless of Edgar's jiu-jitsu ability this is something he should not even be focusing on at all. The striking game is where he should try and find a comfort zone as Sherk's lack of reach and somewhat robotic head movement could be just what it takes for "The Answer" to cause Sherk to have some questions when he returns to the corner after round one. Edgar is facing an uphill battle, but this is a guy who is willing to put his head down and sprint right into danger so I don't see him being shaken up by the prospects of facing Sherk. His best chance to win is to frustrate Sherk and to make sure that he does not end up underneath the much bigger man who would be able to ride out a victory in the same fashion Maynard did. This fight could be boring but if Edgar comes out to win, I see it as being one of the better fights of the night.

-Bent's Prediction: Sean Sherk by Unanimous Decision-

When two wrestlers get together it usually means that either a couple of college guys need the money and are making a movie or that we could have a boring fight on our hands in MMA. I just don't see this one being boring although it could have its moments for those fans who abhor wrestling in any form. Both of these men are high motor fighters with seemingly endless reserves of energy and this is why I feel the pace will be more of a sprint than a walk in the park. Although when all is said and done this one will probably look like one on the scorecards, as Sean Sherk positions himself for one last run at the title.


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