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Will we see Sean Sherk return to form?

I don’t know about you guys, but at one time Sean Sherk was one of my favorite fighters.  Seeing the tenacity of this guy was awesome – he was a 5′6″ bowling-ball of muscle, rightfully earning the name “Muscle Shark”.  His takedowns and slams were a thing of beauty.  I never believed that he did steroids.  After seeing his UFC All Access clip, my respect and admiration for him went up even more.

So what happened?  Why can’t I get excited about him anymore?  Well, the biggest thing for me is this – when did Sean Sherk decide that he was a boxer?  This guy has a crazy explosive takedown, but in the last three fights, he’s barely brought it out.  Instead, he’s stood up with his opponents and gotten into striking matches.  More often than not, he’s come up on the short end of things – pun very much intended.  Due to his stockiness, he usually is at a reach disadvantage. 

So why is he doing this?  My guess is that he wants to “please the fans”.  Sadly, this means the masses of uneducated people out there that think an omoplata is somthing you order at Dennys. 

Hey, I’m a fight fan!  I don’t just want to see two guys throwing punches all the time!  I’d watch boxing for that.  I think back to his fight with Hermes Franca, which really wasn’t that long ago.  Sherk was booed after it, but I thought it was a masterpiece.  Sherk seemed to effortlessly take Franca down, pass his guard, and get into superior position.  It was like watching a master at work – Franca was completely outclassed and only managed to get in one good knee on Sherk.

Fast forward 3 fights later and we have 3 striking matches with BJ Penn, Tyson Griffin, and Frakie Edgar.  While Sherk is certainly no slouch in striking, the grappling game was noticibly absent.

So what does Sherk need to do to turn the tide and get this fan back on his bandwagon?  Glad you asked.  Here’s the list:

1. Stop caring what the crowd thinks.  Yes, yes, it’s all about the fans, and fighters are ultimately entertainers.  But hey, you can’t please everyone.  What wins fans in the long run is winning.  They’ll learn to appreciate the grappling, takedowns, and ground dominance.
2. Bring back the takedowns.  Sherk’s striking game would be improved if the opponent was worrying about takedowns at the same time.  Sherk’s takedowns are an explosive, exciting part of his game.  He fights way better when he is the aggressor taking the opponent down, not being taken down.  This strategy also maximizes his advantage in conditioning, since the guy on bottom uses much more energy than the guy on top.  On top of that, takedowns are often what wins rounds in judge’s eyes.  To go with this…
3. Incorporate judo takedowns.  Sherk needs to add judo and sambo takedowns to his game.  The double-leg takedown has exposed him to knees to the head that were so hard they shook my TV screen. 
4. Add more fakes, feints, and variety.  Sherk appears to be telegraphing his moves.  In his fight with Frankie Edgar, he relied on the left hook way too much.  Frankie could see it coming, while he mixed up his own striking game.  Sherk also didn’t put together combinations more than 2 punches.  Then when Sherk did finally shoot, with 10 seconds left to go in the 3rd round, it was not exactly a surprise.  In a game of millisecond reactions, variety of attacks is crucial.
5. In general, be more agressive.  Be an animal in there.  You just get the sense that he’s thinking too much.  I want to see Sherk just get in there, crush ‘em, and whoop some ass.

So Sean Sherk, this is coming from a fan.  I want to see the old Sean Sherk again!  No – make that, I want to see an even better, new and improved Sean Sherk. 

Ouch. Any other way to take someone down?

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Photo by David Oblas

You could not find a more ridiculous premise in the wildest Hollywood brainstorming session. 

PitchGuy:”Let’s take someone born with no arms and no legs, and turn him into an athlete!  Inspirational story of a lifetime.”

Producer:”Okaaayyy…, that’s a stretch.  But we’ll give it a chance.  What are you thinking, golf?  NASCAR racing?  Skateboarding?  Let’s keep it believable.”

PitchGuy:”Cagefighting.”

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, please allow me to introduce you to Kyle Maynard.  Tonight, Saturday April 25th, he will be making his MMA debut, fighting against Bryan Fry.  The fight will be held in Alabama at the Auburn Covered Arena.  MMA forums and blogs are lit up with arguments about why this should or shouldn’t happen.  A lot of people are equating this to a circus freakshow that can only do harm to the image of MMA.  Others consider this a fantastic human story and cheer on Maynard for even attempting the feat.

What you may not know about Maynard is that he’s no newcomer to combat sports.  While attending high school at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia, he amassed a 35-16 record as a senior.  He went to state championships.  Feel like an underachiever yet?  Oh yeah, he’s also a motivational speaker.  He’s opened his own gym – No Excuses Crossfit Gym.  And he’s modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch.

Motivated yet?

Now, there’s a lot of controversy surrounding this fight, and a lot of people say it shouldn’t happen.  Personally, I think it’s great.  If he wants to test himself in MMA, should be able to do what he wants to do.  Nothing illegal about it – he’s a consenting adult in his right mind.  But that’s not the purpose of this post…

I’m going to break down the fight, and tell you why I think Maynard has a chance of winning.

First off, we know what his opponent is going to do if he has any brains.  He will not want to go to the ground or grapple with Maynard, so he will try to strike at a distance.  Put that together with Maynard’s lack of elbows and forearms for blocking, and it looks like a recipe for turning Maynards face quickly into a swollen, bleeding lump.  Here’s a couple of reasons that won’t be so effective:

1.  Maynard has been training MMA.  If he’s going into a match, he and his trainer have encountered this and have some creative way of blocking or countering this.  It is possible to defend headstrikes with the upper arms.  (Try it)

2.  The fight is held at 135 lbs.  Maynard is all torso, so his size is more that of a 200-pound man.  You’ll have a 135 pounder striking at a 200 pounder’s head and body, so damage will be reduced.

3.  Maynard will be considered a downed opponent at all times, so kicks to the head will be illegal.  Strikes to the back of the head are also illegal.  Since Maynard’s stance will be facing his opponent on all fours, Fry will have to reach down and hook to punch Maynard in the face.  This brings him closer to Maynard and susceptible to takedown. 

4.  Maynard’s mobility.  If you haven’t seen him wrestle before, he moves very quick – like a dog on amphetamines.  He has an amazing ability to establish position and escape from bad positions.

So what happens in this fight?  If Fry attempts to grapple with Maynard, his only hope for a submission would be a choke.  Can Fry get and keep position on Maynard to lock in an Anaconda or rear naked choke?  Possible, but with Maynard’s size and experience, I’m going to give the benefit of the doubt to Maynard.

That means Fry will have to try striking.  Since he doesn’t want to grapple, it will become hit-and-run.  Maynard’s tough – he’ll eat the punches to try to get to Fry.  However, Fry will be too slippery to take down with his limbs.  During the course of the fight, Fry may get tired and Maynard may get him down, but Fry will get back up again and repeat the process.  Fry wins a boring fight, unless he decides to engage Maynard on the ground, in which case Maynard pummels him with his powerful nubs.

My call is:  Fry by decision.

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