Now that the UFC has resurrected the 155-pound division, the next logical step would be to showcase a match for the vacant Lightweight Title. And although nothing is official, the fighter said to be getting first crack at the belt is Minnesota native Sean “Muscle Shark” Sherk.
Since first entering the cage back in June of 1999, Sherk has put together a remarkable 30-2-1 record, including 2 impressive victories over welterweight contender Karo “The Heat” Parisyan. We last saw Sean in the Octagon at UFC 59, where he defeated 22-year-old Nick Diaz by unanimous decision.
It is rumored that Sherk will battle the winner of Kenny Florian vs. Sam Stout for the belt, possibly as early as UFC 62 in August.
It was previously thought that Yves Edwards would lock horns with Sherk for the title, but that got squashed after Edwards was submitted via triangle choke at the hands of Mark Hominick at UFC 58: USA vs. Canada. TUF2 winner Joe “Daddy” Stevenson was also a serious contender until he dropped a unanimous decision to Josh Neer at UFN4. Stevenson and Edwards are supposed to square off in a lightweight matchup on the undercard at UFC 61 in July.
Spencer “The King” Fisher also had the opportunity to put himself in line for a title shot, but he lost a close split decision to Sam Stout at UFC 58. However, “The King” swiftly got back on his horse with a KO victory over Matt Wiman at UFC 60, improving to 3-1 in the UFC and 18-2 in overall mma competition.
