Sherk took UFC 119 fight without knowing who Dunham was

Sean Sherk is itching to get back in the Octagon this weekend at UFC 119. It sounds odd since the last time we saw Sherk he was running around the cage trying to catch Frank Edgar and then ran from the MGM Garden Arena following the loss. You forgot? Sherk was one of the big victories for Edgar as he made his way to the title upset victory over B.J. Penn and then another upset in defending the strap. That could've been Sherk in there against Penn, but just like the Hawaiian, he couldn't catch Edgar. Now he's got someone who'll stand in front of him in Evan Dunham. This is nice step up for Dunham. All the pressure is on the veteran Sherk. He doesn't care. After an injury-filled 16 months, he just wants to fight. "To be honest when they offered me the fight with Dunham, I didn't know who he was and I just said 'OK, sounds good.' I didn't even look into it," Sherk told Neil Davidson of the Canadian Press. "I just wanted to fight and I accepted the fight, not knowing who he was."Dunham only has four UFC fights under his belt but launched himself into the top 10 of the UFC's 155-pound division with a big win over Tyson Griffin. "After I started watching some video, I'm like 'All right, OK, this is going to be a tough fight. So I better get my ass going and train like I always do," said Sherk. "If I do that, then there's nothing to worry about. I know I can hang with the best in the world, I can beat the best in the world. So nothing's changed on my end."Sherk's resume is impressive at 34-4-1. He held the UFC lightweight title until he got popped for a positive drug test following UFC 73. His only losses have come to current or former world champions, Penn, George St. Pierre, Matt Hughes and Edgar. The question now is his age. He's 37 years old and his body broke down often following the Edgar loss in May of 2009. He missed a fight at UFC 104 against Gleison Tibau because of a shoulder issue. Then he bailed from UFC 108 when he suffered a nasty cut on his forehead in training. He was also offered Clay Guida in March but turned it down because of more nagging injuries. Sherk said it was just a bad run of luck. "I don't think I would say I've been cursed. I've been fighting professionally for 11 years, I've got 42 professional fights and I've been pulled out of two fights in 11 years. And it just so happens those two fights were back-to-back," said Sherk. "It's not a curse by any means, it's just the way it is. We play rough and sometimes you get hurt."Sherk versus Dunham (11-0, 4-0 UFC) should be a good tactical scrap. Dunham has given his opponents fits with his takedowns. That might not be so easy against an accomplished MMA wrestler like Sherk. But the issue for Sherk once again is his lack of height and reach. If it turns into a standup war, the 5-foot-6 Sherk may have trouble dealing with the 5-11 Dunham. It might be refreshing to see Sherk go back to his bread and butter takedown game but as fighter's get older, they tend to take the less strenuous approach on the feet.

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