Sherdog’s Top 10: Lightweights of All-Time

10. Sean Sherk

“The Muscle Shark” spent much of his excellent career competing as an undersized welterweight because of the lack of opportunities present at 155 pounds during his heyday. Nevertheless, he made a lasting mark as a lightweight. Sherk went 34-2-1 across his first 37 bouts, losing only to Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre -- arguably the two greatest welterweights to ever grace the cage. The St. Francis, Minnesota native captured the vacant lightweight championship at UFC 64 in October 2006 in a bloody five-round battle with Kenny Florian and then successfully defended it with another unanimous decision over Hermes Franca the following summer. Sherk was later stripped of the title following a failed drug test and his bid to reclaim it proved unsuccessful, as he succumbed to a third-round knee strike and punches from B.J. Penn at UFC 84 on May 24, 2008. The Greg Nelson protégé won two of his final three bouts before retiring in 2013, sandwiching wins over Evan Dunham and Tyson Griffin around a loss to Frankie Edgar.

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