The phone rang in the Sherk household about 5 p.m. When the UFC's lightweight champion answered, the sound of happy, giggling kids in the background danced through the phone line. While he talked, the sound of pure joy continued unabated.

"We can't talk right now," said Sherk. "My kids will be all over me. I have to wait until my wife gets home."

Such is life these days for Sean Sherk. At home, he's not only a climbing apparatus for his two children, he's revered like there's no tomorrow. In public, things aren't a whole lot different. He, as well as his MMA counterparts, are as close to rock-star status as they can be without recording a hit single.

"I did an autograph signing with Randy [Couture] and Matt [Hughes], and those guys [the fans] had waited in line for three hours before we even showed up," says Sherk. "It just blows my mind."

And that's not all. Not only did fans bring a variety of items to be autographed-including photos-others wanted to have their photo taken with their favorite gladiator while others showcased their knowledge of the sport by talking stats with the fighters.

And there's still more.

"When some of the fans extended their hands, they were shaking and nervous," says Sherk. "It just blows my mind. I'm just a fighter. There's nothing special about me other than I fight. I am just a guy like anyone else."

Just don't tell his kids that.

GIVE ROYCE AN ASSIST

Sherk was just a kid when he got into the arts. He began wrestling at 7 and judo in 1993, nudged, naturally, by Royce Gracie and the UFC.

"I fell in love with MMA," he recalls. "I thought it was the coolest thing on the face of the planet."

As it turns out, however, he didn't think judo was so cool.

"I didn't like the gi, and I didn't think the art was realistic," he says.

So, within six months, he had found a new "home," a place where he could shoot wrestle, kickbox and do submissions. He may not have known it at the time, but he had also opened a door to a career when he enrolled at the Minnesota Martial Arts Academy.

"I knew I was in the right spot," he says.

While "The Muscle Shark" was mixing things up in the classroom, he never intended-then-to take it to the cage.

"I just had a love of the sport," he says. "I loved to get on the mat, train and learn new techniques."

Not to mention that he was fresh out of high school, weighing all of 160.

"There was no way I was going to get in a cage with some 300-pound dude," he says.

Fighting, however, certainly was in the back corridors of his mind. When MMA added weight classes, that got his attention real quick. Still, he was reluctant to fight until someone asked him. And someone did.

Sherk then asked Greg Nelson, his trainer, if he was ready for battle, and he got the answer he was seeking. Five months later he entered and won an eight-man tournament.
"I was hooked after that," he says.

Hooked because he loves the mental and physical challenge of competition, hooked because he loves the thrill of training, hooked because he loves to test himself against world-class athletes and hooked because, to build strength, he got to throw around iron on a regular basis.

"I've been doing all of that my whole life through wrestling," he says. "If you take those things away from me, I'd be kind of miserable."

ROLLERCOASTER RIDE

Sherk was anything but miserable when the UFC signed him to fight Matt Hughes several years back. That peak, however, dropped into a deep valley. The loss hurt, but it hurt even more when the UFC released him. To the smaller shows he went.

Because Sherk had fought in the "Show," a lot of guys wanted to step up and test themselves against him. That's the good news. The bad news is that the smaller shows weren't paying a lot of green. Thus, he was covering his bills but not a whole lot else.

"I had to fight every four to six weeks just to stay above water," he says. "I was taking fights on a week's notice."

That formula worked for a while.

"I finished all of my opponents decisively in the first round, but it was not too long before I could not find anyone to fight me," he says.

And no fights meant no cash, so he hung up the gloves.

"I was depressed as hell," he says. "I had dedicated my whole life to the sport. I thought about it day and night, but I had to walk away from it. And it wasn't because of my ability. I just couldn't get any opportunities. I was really bummed out, and I hated the sport and was so pissed off."

If his friends brought MMA up, he told them to change the subject. But that wasn't the only thing annoying him. To pay his bills, he had entered the world of 9-5, installing hardwood floors.

"This drove me nuts because I thought about fighting all day," he says.

During his time away from the sport, which included the premier of "The Ultimate Fighter 1," MMA exploded. On the outside, Sherk was telling people not to talk about MMA. On the inside, the desire to get back was eating him alive.

So, Sherk called his manager, Monte Cox, and asked him if he thought there was a future for him in the sport. Cox told him what he wanted to hear, and Sherk found himself back in the saddle with a three-fight deal in the UFC.

WINNING THE TITLE

Sherk can now secure himself in the saddle with the championship belt he won at UFC 64 when he scored a unanimous decision over Kenny Florian.

"My career really has been a roller coaster," he says. "After I came back and lost the first fight [with Hughes], everyone counted me out."

Except him. Sherk had set his eyes and goals on the top, and he has now reached the top of the hill.

"When a person receives everything in life, he does not appreciate things as much," he says. "On the other hand, it feels damn good when you bust your balls and accomplish a goal. In fact, it feels great. I love the situation where I am, and I am willing to work harder to keep what I have."

THE WINNING FORMULA

The UFC Lightweight Championship belt hangs above the fireplace in the Sherk household. It serves as a reminder of his accomplishments, as well as the hard work that preceded the title. To keep that belt right where it is, he knows he has to step up, which is the only way he'd have it.

"I want to remain the UFC champ," he says. "I am still as hungry as before."

And Sherk, whose desire to succeed rages within, definitely has the key ingredients that go hand in hand with winning.

First, you have to be mentally and physically tough, he says.

"If you are missing one or the other, you won't be successfully," he says.

Next, you have to be willing to make sacrifices.

"It is a grueling way to make a living," he notes. "There is dieting, sacrifice and training. I do not have a personal life when I'm preparing for a fight. I go the gym, and I come home. I do not hang with friends, I do not ski, and I don't pursue any hobbies. Fighting is my priority."

These elements are, of course, in addition to top physical attributes, such as athleticism, speed and strength. It's also important to learn fast and evolve, he notes.

"If you don't evolve, you'll be left behind," he says.

It's the other fighters who are behind right now, but Sherk knows he's walking around with a bull's eye on his back.

"I think it's more difficult to keep the belt than it is to get the belt," he says. "I say that because I'm on top of the hill, and there are 15 guys going to sleep at night thinking that they want to beat me and take the title. I'm a marked man. They all want to take what I have."

Which drives him even harder. He says he constantly reminds himself of his goals and what the other fighters are trying to do, and he never underestimates anyone.

"Losing is my worst fear," he says. "Seeing the other fighter's hand raised is the worst thing possible. I don't care about pain, and I don't care about getting my face busted in. I could care less about those things. Losing a fight, however, is what worries me more than anything."

In the meantime, while he prepares for his next fight, he comes home at night, throws himself onto the couch, and with his kids climbing all over him, glances at the fireplace.


"The goal is to keep that belt," he says. "I love being champ. If I do lose, however, that thing is coming down and I won't look at it again until I win the title again or until I retire."

While you never know, there's a good chance that belt will be above the fireplace for a long, long time.

 

Meet the Muscle Shark

Name: Sean Sherk
Age: 32
Residence: Oak Grove, Minnesota
Brothers and Sisters: Four sisters and one brother
Marital Status: Married
Children: Kyler, 2 and Tegan, 1

Finish This Sentence

We asked Sean Sherk to finish the following sentences.

Kenny Florian is ... I guess what really comes to mind is that I did not want to walk into a title. I wanted to go to war and walk out knowing that I had earned the title.

The fighter who hits the hardest in MMA is ... Benji Radach. When I fought him at UFC 39, I shot in on him for a double. He threw a cross and that stopped me dead in my tracks. Usually, when someone hits me, I shoot right through his punch. However, he hit me so hard that it stopped me dead in my tracks.

The toughest opponent I have ever faced would be ... I've had quite a few. The toughest were the ones I lost, for obvious reasons. [Matt] Hughes and [Georges] St-Pierre are tough. You can also throw [Nick] Diaz in there. He is as tough as nails. His BJJ is phenomenal. As soon as I hit the mat, he was doing shit I had not seen before.

The fighter who talks the most trash is ... I have never had anyone talk trash before, during or after a fight. I do not know why that is. They respect me or whatever.

The fan who did the craziest thing for me ... This was in Japan on Valentine's Day. The fan brought me some chocolate and a Valentine's card, but I could not eat the chocolate until after the fight.

The one food I would love to eat more often is ... pizza. I love it and would probably eat it every day if I could. There's a local place I like to go to or sometimes I'll buy a frozen pizza and deck it out.

Why Sherk Will Be Tough to Beat

• Amazing consistency. His record is 35-2-1.
• Incredible determination. MMA is where he wants to be, he realizes it won't last forever and his desire to succeed rivals that of ex-NBA star Michael Jordan.
• Tremendous skills.
• An unrivaled work ethic.
• Massive power.

When the Fighting Is Over

What is in Sean Sherk's future?

"I want to hold onto the title for as long as I can, and I want to fight until I am at least 40," he says. "Nowadays that is a legitimate goal. Randy Couture is 43. Guys are fighting into their upper 30s, such as Chuck Liddell, and they are world-class athletes. I want to be one of those guys."

And when he's finally done?

"I do not want to be a guy on the sidelines," he says. "But when do I retire, I won't walk away from the sport. I'll train fighters and open a school."

Away From the Octagon

What is life like away from the Octagon?

"I had some family members who supported me from Day No. 1," he says. "Others were skeptical. Now everyone is on board, and everyone has been on board for a long, long time."

Initially, not everyone realized what the life of a fighter was all about, he says. Then they saw how hard he trains and how much time he devotes to his art.

"They realized I was chasing a dream and accomplishing something," he notes.

Times Have Changed

What a difference a few years make.

There have always been hardcore MMA fans, but now it seems like everyone is a fan. Things weren't always this way.

"I have been in MMA for eight years," says Sean Sherk. "When I first started, people thought I was a toughman or some kind of a street fighter. When I told them I was in MMA, they would roll their eyes and make [derogatory] comments."

But not anymore.

"It is just great to be part of this," says Sherk. "To be in it when it was nothing and now when it is huge makes me appreciate it that much more."