Sean Sherk’s Appeal To Be Heard Today
Sean Sherk, the current UFC Lightweight Champion, will go in front of the California State Athletic Commission in mere moments to argue for his positive steroid test to be overturned. Sherk tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone following his July win over Hermes Franca at UFC 73 in Sacramento.
The hearing began at 12pm eastern time and we are currently waiting to receive word on their decision.
If the suspension is overturned Sherk will remain the UFC lightweight champion and will likely face BJ Penn in December. If it is upheld he will be stripped of the title and Penn will likely face Joe Stevenson in December for the vacant championship. He also faces a $2,500 fine and a suspension until July 6th, 2008 if positive tests are not overturned.
Additionally, Kazuhiro Nakamura, who tested positive for marijuana following his September loss to Lyoto Machida at UFC 76 in Anaheim, will also have his appeal heard today. If upheld, Nakamura will be fined $500 and suspended until December 21st.
Tags: Kazuhiro Nakamura, Sean Sherk
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I hope Sherk isn’t gulity. Sherk vs. Penn would be the greatest Lightweight Title Fight in MMA history.
Yeah it could be a great fight. I like all the possible combinations of Penn vs. Sherk, Sherk vs. Stevenson, and even Stevenson vs. Penn. The LW division is definitely a good one now.
I can’t imagine them overturning this…I definitely think its gonna be Stevenson vs. Penn
I really just don’t want the sport tainted with roids. If he is innocent(thats a big if) then I think he should fight. But how many of these things have ever been overturned? I have never heard of any, and if they are calling Diaz;s VICTORY over Gomi a no contest, then strip Sherk of his belt.
i’ve thought ever since it came out that the levels of this steroid, naturally found in the body and can be increased by the level of work out, were only twice a normal atheletes, that this was ridiculous. sherk works out probably harder than any other athelete in sports today. hope this is overturned. hope to see BJ Penn vs Sherk in december. two guys who are just below Matt Hughes & GSP in a heavier division than they are natural in. its amazing the talent these two have
Honestly Kris, how many of these things have been overturned?
I have done a lot of digging and cannot get definite figures but I know of no cases in California that have been outright overturned. His best chance is likely for a reduction in the length of the suspension.
One thing that is interesting is that Nate Marquardt tested positive for the same substance in Nevada and had his suspension lifted after proving it was a false positive and that he only used over the counter supplements.
i hope sherk is innocent but if not he should be punished. doesnt anyone think the ban is a bit short and not a hard message for other users?
no, i definitely think 1 year for a first time offender is a reasonable punishment, i like sherk, but if he’s guilty, he needs to sit out for the year. as for the $$$ you’re holding a guy out for a year so he cant make money fighting for a year, i think thats reasonable that its a relatively small amount. i will say though, i think second time offenders should have lifetime bans. you know, anyone can screw up once, but doing something like this twice, i think you need to just be done.
The amount in his system was much lower than it should have been for someone on roids. Also, Sherk passed a lie detector test when this first happened.
Sean’s work ethic is second to none, and I honestly believe he’s telling the truth.
I like Sean Sherk and his work ethic and all that hu-ha. I would like to see this overturned, but at what expense. The UFC is in a spot where they really need to send a message out. If you use roids of any kind, you’re out of here. I think a one year suspension is right for first timers. If you do it again, bye bye. I like Kenny Florian’s thoughts on this also. He says there should be testing year round while on contract with the UFC, not just before/after fights. I know a lot of MMA-ers out there do a cycle when they haven’t got a fight for 3 or 4 months. That bull and has to end.
I think he did use roids.. But i also believe the he got off them a little later then he should.. hence the barely higher positive reading. He’s not the only one to use them so he can’t be isolated and treated like dirt.. I agree that there should be a monthly test for all fighters to catch the ones that are getting by
Regarding the Diaz win over Gomi. Since when is Weed a “Performance Enhancing Drug”? Dude! He beat him stoned. That’s awesome. LOL.
Any news yet on the decision? It should be over by now, shouldn’t it? I tend to agree with Bryan in a way. I understand a suspension and fine for using street drugs because it gives the sport a bad rep, but I can’t believe they called the fight a no contest. It was absolutely one of, if not the best fight of last year. Diaz fought his ass off, and nobody likes him. I think he is one of the best fighters out there when he shows. In a few years, when he gets his emotional problems worked out, he will be the best lightweight-middleweight fighter in the world. I hope that EliteXC puts together a Robbie Lawler/Nick Diaz 2. That was a killer fight(their 1st match)
in reference to diaz’s win over gomi:
weed isnt a performance enhancing drug, but you’re not likely to slow down your pace because you’ve been hit in the face a thousand times, because you arent feeling any pain. there’s no more fear, no more pain… and thats why i think it should have been ruled no contest.
“No fear and no pain”? What are you high? That’s PCP man! You sound like my 7th grade science teacher when he told us not to smoke pot because he knew a girl who took 1 hit, and ended up in the psycho ward because she never stopped halucinateing. You have watched too much “Reefer Madness” That’s right…..REEFERS. LOL
Somehow I doubt Diaz smoked before the fight. No fighter is THAT stupid. His reaction time would drop severely, it’d be suicide. Pot stays in your system and is detectable by drug test for up to 30 days (longer if they test a strand of hair). He probably got stoned with some friends a few weeks before – not “performance enhancing” but it does set a bad example for the UFC. We had enough to hear about fighters being thugs and the sport being “human cockfighting” to worry about the fighters being labeled “drug addicts” by the media.
Oh, and I hope they overturn Sherk’s suspension. He’s one of the hardest working fighters out there and never ceases to put on a good show. GO GET EM SHARK!!!
Sean’s hearing has been postponed until Nov 13. Polygraph evidence and testimony was not disseminated to the entire commission to review.
Look at the Diaz brothers eyes, man. Them boys are straight stoning. It doesn’t enhance **** for fighting sake, but why would you do some stupid bull when you can make bank now, and smoke up all day when you retire to do public appearances and teaching and ****.
People like Sherk irritate me because it’s the Matt Hughes method of muscle first and technique second. Kenny Florian had dude out classed on standing and ground game but still lost because of the obvious strength difference. Sean was likely using then too to be honest. Sherk had an opportunity of a life time but like many others, he was more worried about physique and domination. Sean’s a hard working guy don’t get me wrong, but there are people out there that can do what he does day in and day out natural, not to mention they finish fights vs. getting the nod on the score cards. I don’t know Sean personally but as a fan and an athlete of the sport, it is seriously disappointing to know that people take these steps to fulfill their dreams while cheating other competitors of any sport for the matter out of theirs. The athletic commission’s around the US are here for good reason – Phoenix