Sean Sherk
Active 2006–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 84.0
Scouting report
Sean Sherk wrestled for about eleven years from the age of seven and joined Greg Nelson's Minnesota Martial Arts Academy in 1994. He won the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 64 on October 14, 2006, beating Kenny Florian on a unanimous decision while fighting with a torn rotator cuff. He defended it once, against Hermes Franca at UFC 73, and lost it to BJ Penn at UFC 84 in May 2008. He announced his retirement in September 2013.
Peak ratings
Sean Sherk: a Minnesota wrestler who held the lightweight belt
Sherk debuted at UFC 30 in February 2001 with a TKO of Tiki Ghosn, and the next year he beat Jutaro Nakao and Benji Radach. He challenged Matt Hughes for the welterweight title at UFC 42 in April 2003 and lost on a decision. Georges St-Pierre stopped him in round two at UFC 56 in November 2005. He then dropped to lightweight, beat Nick Diaz at UFC 59, and took the title from Florian. His UFC record ended at 8-4.
How Sherk rates
Boxing. 82. He learned boxing and Muay Thai at his Minnesota gym alongside judo and shootfighting.
Kickboxing. 70, the number he is weakest at. He is a wrestler first. Penn stopped him with knees and punches in the third round at UFC 84.
Wrestling. 90. At UFC 73 in July 2007 he landed 16 takedowns on Hermes Franca, which the record lists as the second most in a UFC title fight.
BJJ. 78. None of his eight UFC wins ended by submission. His ground game was top control.
Strength. 86. He controlled Franca for 22:18, the longest control time recorded in a UFC fight.
Durability. 84. St-Pierre stopped him with punches and elbows in round two at UFC 56 in November 2005, and Frankie Edgar beat him on a unanimous decision at UFC 98 in May 2009.
Cardio. 92, his best. He won three Fight of the Night bonuses, against Florian, Tyson Griffin at UFC 90 and Evan Dunham at UFC 119.
Fight IQ. 84. He took 16 months away after the Edgar loss, withdrawing from UFC 104, from UFC 108 with a cut above his eye, and from a March 2010 fight with Clay Guida, before returning against Dunham.
Cardio at 92 turns every fight into a long one
The title run was a series of decisions. Diaz, Florian and Franca all went the distance with him. UFC.com ranked the Griffin fight fourth among 2008's best, and the Dunham split decision in September 2010 was ranked fifth for that year. For a build that needs a fighter who can carry a high pace, no other slot beats this one.
Kickboxing at 70 and the Penn fight
Penn is the clearest example. At UFC 84 he stopped Sherk with knees and punches at the end of the third round. St-Pierre did the same in 2005. A striker in another slot covers the gap.
Keep exploring
Closest lightweight profiles to Sean Sherk, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Gray Maynardbest wrestling 90 · weakest kickboxing 72
- Al Iaquintabest boxing 86 · weakest bjj 76
- Gleison Tibaubest wrestling 88 · weakest kickboxing 70
- Clay Guidabest cardio 96 · weakest kickboxing 72
- Lightweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Protecting your streak: a guide that fits Sean Sherk's strongest attribute, Cardio.
Draft Sean Sherk into your build
Sean Sherk enters the pool on any spin landing on lightweight between 2010 and 2013. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Sean Sherk is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Sean Sherk's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.