www.randomspeak.com
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Interview With The Champ
Stepping into the cage with UFC Lightweight Champion Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk will likely garner you a hefty amount of punishment from the 155-lb powerhouse. And when he's done, he'll also let you know that Monica from 'Friends' biggest pet peeve is animals dressed as humans.
Welcome to the world of "The Muscle Shark". I recently had the pleasure of chatting with the champ, discussing his upcoming bout with Hermes Franca, Floyd Mayweather's comments about the UFC, and him being the only fighter having confessed to watching every Friends episode (three times!).
RS: How did you get started in mixed martial arts (MMA), Sean?
Sean: Basically as a fan. I just watched the first couple UFCs, well, I watched every UFC actually, from the first Pay-Per-View back in 1993 and became a big fan and knew every fighter. Started training and just became a fighter.
RS: Who was your favorite fighter back in the old-school UFCs?
Sean: Back in those days, Ken Shamrock was probably my favorite fighter just because of the fact that he was a wrestler. He was a wrestler, but he could also strike and was good with submissions. It was one of the coolest things in the world to watch a wrestler punch like that. I was a fan of every one of those guys though; Shamrock, Severn, Coleman, all those guys. Every time a wrestler stepped in the cage I was right there with them. Shamrock was the guy that sticked out the most though.
RS: What were your aspirations before you started MMA?
Sean: You know, I never really had intentions on fighting when I first started training back in the mid-90's. Fighting wasn't an option for me because I only weighted 160 lbs, and there was no way I was going to step in the cage and fight some 300-lb guy, it just wasn't an option for me. Over time as the sport evolved though, they brought in weight classes and new fight rules, and the rules I had no problem with. It was more the weight classes. So they created the 170-lb class, the light-heavyweight and heavyweights, and I became a 170-lb fighter by 1999 in my first fight.
RS: It was a long road to the championship for you, since you were a welterweight (170-lb class) before and now have become a lightweight. Did you feel undersized as a welterweight?
Sean: Well I weighed 160 lbs back in the 90's, and I've always been a gym rat; trying to get big and gaining size and stuff. When I first started at 170, I actually weighed about 180 lbs and was cutting a little bit of weight to make 170. I was still considered a small fighter though, just because the guys I was fighting were dropping more weight than I was.
RS: In your first run with the UFC, you found a good amount of success at the welterweight level, even being the first fighter to take Matt Hughes (the champ at the time) the distance. What would you have done different in that match?
Sean: Well I would have shot on him in the first round (laughs). Well I would have turned it into more of a wrestling match. I went into the fight knowing that I was a better boxer, wanting to box and keep it standing up, and I was wrong. I gave him the first two rounds, and my conditioning was phenomenal. So if I had turned it into more of a wrestling match, you never know, it might have been a different outcome.
RS: You talk about the conditioning, which is funny because one of the lasting images of that match was you slapping the water bottle away between every round when your corner tried to give it to you.
Sean: (laughs)
RS: Now, you weren't signed after the Hughes match by the UFC. What went on there?
Sean: Well they let me go. I wasn't really sure why, maybe some things behind the scenes I didn't know about, or maybe they just didn't like my style of fighting, I'm not real sure. They let me go about two weeks after that fight.
RS: For a while you fought in independent organizations after that, and almost retired at one point. Was there frustration on your part at this point that a guy of your talent wasn't being appreciated?
Sean: Well it was a combination of everything. I mean, I was legitimately one of the best fighters in the world, so for me to not be fighting in the big organizations with the best guys, that was real frustrating for me. The big organizations obviously pay more money, and I'm a full-time fighter. All my fight money is what I live on, so if I'm not fighting, I can't pay my bills. So it was a combination of a lot of different things.
RS: Now you're on the top of the mountain and defending your belt against Hermes Franca on July 7. What are your thoughts on Franca?
Sean: Well, I've seen Hermes fight a few times, and every time I see him fight it's the same thing. He puts it all on the line, he hits hard from what I hear. He pushes the pace and is a real good jiu-jitsu guy, so I think he brings a lot and is a threat in every position he's in. I think it's just going to be a great fight between the two of us.
RS: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. came out the last couple weeks completely bashing the UFC and stating that any boxer would demolish a UFC fighter in the cage. Dana White (UFC President) came back at Mayweather and named you as the guy who he'd put Mayweather up against, and that you would handle him no problem. What are your thoughts on the whole situation?
Sean: Well, you know honestly in a boxing match, of course he'd beat me in a boxing match. In an MMA fight, he would be in for a beating. I mean, he's not going to knock me out with one punch; I've got a hard head and have been boxing for 13 years so it's not like I don't know how to box. So, he'd have to land a lot of punches to stop me from taking him down, and me being one of the best wrestlers in the sport, there's no way he could stop me from taking him down.
I don't think that fight would last longer than a minute, to be honest with you. And I don't think he should be talking about something that he can't back up, because I'll fight him tomorrow. I literally would, if they called and asked me to fight Floyd Mayweather, Jr. tomorrow, it's done. He's not going to fight me though, and he's just running his mouth. I don't really respect that a whole lot.
RS: It seems like a lot of boxers are starting to fear the rise of MMA by the way they keep speaking out against it. Do you think MMA has taken over?
Sean: Well it has, the numbers for the UFC are absolutely phenomenal. The numbers are unbelievable, and it's only getting bigger. A fight with me and Mayweather would obviously draw all the boxing fans, and after they see what happens to Floyd they would immediately jump on the UFC bandwagon and say "hey, what the hell are we watching boxing for". So it's a losing situation for boxing.
RS: How did you get the nickname?
Sean: It was back in Japan, after fighting at PRIDE Bushido, the guys came over to me and told me the fans over there started calling me the "muscle shark", and asked me what I thought of it. I wasn't really looking for a nickname, but that was pretty cool, so why not? (laughs)
RS: Just had to bring this up, rumor has it that you are a huge 'Friends' fan and you tape the shows to watch after your training sessions. Any depression that the show is off the air, or are you living off the DVDs?
Sean: Well you know, the show definitely ran its course, it was on the air for 10 years. I've probably seen every episode at least three or four times, and I still watch reruns all the time. The show went out on top though.
RS: Thank you very much for your time today Sean, any words for the fans?
Sean: Yeah go ahead and check out my website www.seansherk.com, and also the Minnesota MMA Academy (www.mmaacombatzone.com). That's where I train and we got a lot of talented guys there, Nick Thompson just won the Bodog Title, Brock Larson is fighting for the WEC title which he's gonna win, and Brock Lesnar is getting ready to fight for K-1. There's just alot of talent over here, and I'm the UFC champion obviously (laughs). Thanks everybody.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Interview With The Champ
Stepping into the cage with UFC Lightweight Champion Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk will likely garner you a hefty amount of punishment from the 155-lb powerhouse. And when he's done, he'll also let you know that Monica from 'Friends' biggest pet peeve is animals dressed as humans.
Welcome to the world of "The Muscle Shark". I recently had the pleasure of chatting with the champ, discussing his upcoming bout with Hermes Franca, Floyd Mayweather's comments about the UFC, and him being the only fighter having confessed to watching every Friends episode (three times!).
RS: How did you get started in mixed martial arts (MMA), Sean?
Sean: Basically as a fan. I just watched the first couple UFCs, well, I watched every UFC actually, from the first Pay-Per-View back in 1993 and became a big fan and knew every fighter. Started training and just became a fighter.
RS: Who was your favorite fighter back in the old-school UFCs?
Sean: Back in those days, Ken Shamrock was probably my favorite fighter just because of the fact that he was a wrestler. He was a wrestler, but he could also strike and was good with submissions. It was one of the coolest things in the world to watch a wrestler punch like that. I was a fan of every one of those guys though; Shamrock, Severn, Coleman, all those guys. Every time a wrestler stepped in the cage I was right there with them. Shamrock was the guy that sticked out the most though.
RS: What were your aspirations before you started MMA?
Sean: You know, I never really had intentions on fighting when I first started training back in the mid-90's. Fighting wasn't an option for me because I only weighted 160 lbs, and there was no way I was going to step in the cage and fight some 300-lb guy, it just wasn't an option for me. Over time as the sport evolved though, they brought in weight classes and new fight rules, and the rules I had no problem with. It was more the weight classes. So they created the 170-lb class, the light-heavyweight and heavyweights, and I became a 170-lb fighter by 1999 in my first fight.
RS: It was a long road to the championship for you, since you were a welterweight (170-lb class) before and now have become a lightweight. Did you feel undersized as a welterweight?
Sean: Well I weighed 160 lbs back in the 90's, and I've always been a gym rat; trying to get big and gaining size and stuff. When I first started at 170, I actually weighed about 180 lbs and was cutting a little bit of weight to make 170. I was still considered a small fighter though, just because the guys I was fighting were dropping more weight than I was.
RS: In your first run with the UFC, you found a good amount of success at the welterweight level, even being the first fighter to take Matt Hughes (the champ at the time) the distance. What would you have done different in that match?
Sean: Well I would have shot on him in the first round (laughs). Well I would have turned it into more of a wrestling match. I went into the fight knowing that I was a better boxer, wanting to box and keep it standing up, and I was wrong. I gave him the first two rounds, and my conditioning was phenomenal. So if I had turned it into more of a wrestling match, you never know, it might have been a different outcome.
RS: You talk about the conditioning, which is funny because one of the lasting images of that match was you slapping the water bottle away between every round when your corner tried to give it to you.
Sean: (laughs)
RS: Now, you weren't signed after the Hughes match by the UFC. What went on there?
Sean: Well they let me go. I wasn't really sure why, maybe some things behind the scenes I didn't know about, or maybe they just didn't like my style of fighting, I'm not real sure. They let me go about two weeks after that fight.
RS: For a while you fought in independent organizations after that, and almost retired at one point. Was there frustration on your part at this point that a guy of your talent wasn't being appreciated?
Sean: Well it was a combination of everything. I mean, I was legitimately one of the best fighters in the world, so for me to not be fighting in the big organizations with the best guys, that was real frustrating for me. The big organizations obviously pay more money, and I'm a full-time fighter. All my fight money is what I live on, so if I'm not fighting, I can't pay my bills. So it was a combination of a lot of different things.
RS: Now you're on the top of the mountain and defending your belt against Hermes Franca on July 7. What are your thoughts on Franca?
Sean: Well, I've seen Hermes fight a few times, and every time I see him fight it's the same thing. He puts it all on the line, he hits hard from what I hear. He pushes the pace and is a real good jiu-jitsu guy, so I think he brings a lot and is a threat in every position he's in. I think it's just going to be a great fight between the two of us.
RS: Floyd Mayweather, Jr. came out the last couple weeks completely bashing the UFC and stating that any boxer would demolish a UFC fighter in the cage. Dana White (UFC President) came back at Mayweather and named you as the guy who he'd put Mayweather up against, and that you would handle him no problem. What are your thoughts on the whole situation?
Sean: Well, you know honestly in a boxing match, of course he'd beat me in a boxing match. In an MMA fight, he would be in for a beating. I mean, he's not going to knock me out with one punch; I've got a hard head and have been boxing for 13 years so it's not like I don't know how to box. So, he'd have to land a lot of punches to stop me from taking him down, and me being one of the best wrestlers in the sport, there's no way he could stop me from taking him down.
I don't think that fight would last longer than a minute, to be honest with you. And I don't think he should be talking about something that he can't back up, because I'll fight him tomorrow. I literally would, if they called and asked me to fight Floyd Mayweather, Jr. tomorrow, it's done. He's not going to fight me though, and he's just running his mouth. I don't really respect that a whole lot.
RS: It seems like a lot of boxers are starting to fear the rise of MMA by the way they keep speaking out against it. Do you think MMA has taken over?
Sean: Well it has, the numbers for the UFC are absolutely phenomenal. The numbers are unbelievable, and it's only getting bigger. A fight with me and Mayweather would obviously draw all the boxing fans, and after they see what happens to Floyd they would immediately jump on the UFC bandwagon and say "hey, what the hell are we watching boxing for". So it's a losing situation for boxing.
RS: How did you get the nickname?
Sean: It was back in Japan, after fighting at PRIDE Bushido, the guys came over to me and told me the fans over there started calling me the "muscle shark", and asked me what I thought of it. I wasn't really looking for a nickname, but that was pretty cool, so why not? (laughs)
RS: Just had to bring this up, rumor has it that you are a huge 'Friends' fan and you tape the shows to watch after your training sessions. Any depression that the show is off the air, or are you living off the DVDs?
Sean: Well you know, the show definitely ran its course, it was on the air for 10 years. I've probably seen every episode at least three or four times, and I still watch reruns all the time. The show went out on top though.
RS: Thank you very much for your time today Sean, any words for the fans?
Sean: Yeah go ahead and check out my website www.seansherk.com, and also the Minnesota MMA Academy (www.mmaacombatzone.com). That's where I train and we got a lot of talented guys there, Nick Thompson just won the Bodog Title, Brock Larson is fighting for the WEC title which he's gonna win, and Brock Lesnar is getting ready to fight for K-1. There's just alot of talent over here, and I'm the UFC champion obviously (laughs). Thanks everybody.
