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UFC champion B.J. Penn taunts former title-holder Sean Sherk as a cheat |
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Written by Neil Davidson, THE CANADIAN PRESS
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Thursday, 15 May 2008 |
Lightweight champion B.J. (The Prodigy) Penn taunted UFC 84 opponent Sean (The Muscle Shark) Sherk as a drug cheat Thursday, adding some more pre-fight hype to a mixed martial arts main event already dripping with bile.
Sherk tested positive for steroids after his UFC 73 win over Hermes Franca - who failed his own drug test - last July and was eventually stripped of the 155-pound title. Sherk denied cheating and fought the California State Athletic Commission ruling but only succeeded in having his one-year ban cut in half.
Since being reinstated, Sherk has twice passed drug tests. But that hasn't satisfied Penn, judging from his prickly attitude on a pre-fight media conference call in advance of the May 24 card at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Asked whether he felt pressure going into the fight, Sherk was interrupted by Penn.
"What about the pressure that you're not going to be on the juice this time?" Penn asked. "You feel that pressure or what?"
Sherk ignored the jibe, laughing a little awkwardly before returning to his answer.
Penn pressed his buttons again later in the call, when asked if he believed Sherk's claim of innocence.
"We'll just do it like this. Sean Sherk did you take any steroids for this fight?" he said by way of answer. "What about (human) growth hormone? You took growth hormone for this fight? What about blood doping? You took any blood doping for this fight, Sean? Let me know, let me know, let me know.
"It's going to all tell true when me and you are standing on the other side of the ring from each other."
Sherk, 34, couldn't really get his two cents in, other to say "That would be a negative" in the midst of Penn's rant.
"Next question," said UFC president Dana White when Penn finally stopped.
Penn (13-4-1) won the vacant 155-pound title in January, comprehensively defeating Joe Stevenson at UFC 80 in Newcastle, England.
The 29-year-old Hawaiian fighter has repeatedly pointed the finger at Sherk as a drug cheat. On Thursday, he attempted to explain his rage, saying he sees his sport as something pure and takes it personally when it is abused by drug-users.
"It just gets to you after a while. I look at fighting and it's just the most important thing in the world to me. And when someone else goes and perverts it, I can't take it, I can't handle it.
"People take steroids whatever, it happens all the time. But they're not standing across the ring trying to take my money," he added.
Sherk (35-2-1) repeated his innocence Thursday.
"I went above and beyond what it took to prove myself innocent. Anyone who followed my appeal and how it was handled and all the evidence would know, if you actually do the research, you'd know I didn't take anything and the California commission, I think, knows I didn't anything too. Obviously they've reduced my sentence in half, but they weren't willing to overturn it because then that sets up a lawsuit.
"I know what I did and didn't do."
White has talked up the bout, saying it's rare when two elite fighters in a weight class square off. White, who has stood by Sherk, hasn't minded the trash-talking either in the leadup to the aptly named "Ill Will" card.
"I've said from the beginning I've known Sean Sherk for a long time. I respect him as an athlete and as a man," he said. "B.J. has his opinions of Sean and he's going to let you know what they are.
"This happens sometimes. Listen, the sport of mixed martial arts, one of the cool things about it is the sportsmanship and everything else. But you know sometimes guys just rub each other the wrong way and it happens. Everything I just, said about the two best fighters in the world facing each other in their prime, it doesn't suck when they hate each other either."
NOTES - White said Germany, the Philippines and Australia are next on the UFC's list of countries to visit, with Brazil also a target ... The UFC president also took a number of shots Thursday at former champion Tito (The Huntington Beach Bad Boy) Ortiz, who will probably be making his UFC swan song when he takes on unbeaten Brazilian Lyoto Machida at UFC 84. Ortiz is in the final fight of his contract and it appears White, who once managed Ortiz, will be showing him the door immediately after the fight. "You put all the animosity aside between me and him and realistically when was the last significant fight that Tito Ortiz won? ... To be honest with you, I have no interest whatsoever in being in the Tito Ortiz business any more." .... White also once again dismissed street fighter turned MMA heavyweight Kimbo Slice, who will be headlining EliteXC's debut show on CBC at the end of the month. "Kimbo Slice isn't a mixed martial artist. This guy was fighting in your backyard three months ago and now he's going to be headlining on CBS. Personally I think it sucks."
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