At UFC 84 we will see a battle of lightweight monsters. In one corner we will see one of the best American Jiu Jitsu practitioners ever in B.J. Penn and in the other we will see one of the best conditioned fighters in the organization. As we get closer and closer to the bout, many are asking does Sean Sherk really deserve to be fighting for the title?

Sean Sherk is a physical specimen in the 155 pound weight division. He is the never get tired and top conditioned athlete that many strive to be like. If the UFC was a body building contest he would not have many competitors. However it is not, and in this game of fighting certain things are illegal.

After his last fight, Sherk tested positive for the steroid Nandrolone Metabolite. Other notable athletes that have also tested positive for Nandrolone are Roger Clemens (not confirmed yet), Sean Merriman, and Kurt Angle. This anabolic steroid naturally appears in the body and it’s one of the most abused steroids taken by athletes and other users. Nandrolone accelerates muscle growth, strength, aggressiveness, and recovery.

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It seems like the doping headlines never end. Only months after Royce Gracie was found to have used an illegal substance before his K-1 Hero’s bout with Kazushi Sakuraba, current UFC lightweight champion Sean Sherk and recent challenger Hermes Franca both tested positive using urine samples taken before UFC 73.

Franca immediately issued his apology stating that he was forced to use illegal substances to facilitate the healing process of an injured ankle 8 weeks before he was set to face Sherk in the octagon. Franca’s excuse might be the only thing to keep UFC President Dana White from doing anything irrational in regards to the Brazilian’s MMA career in the largest fighting organization.

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It seems that more fighters are getting caught with drugs these days than ever. It’s not like they are being thoroughly punished; the fines are weak, the suspensions are short, and the short-term positives seem to outweigh the negatives. Why should anyone stop attempting to cheat a little to get bigger and better?

The major organizations are still bringing back the guys who have cheated in the past. Stephan Bonnar, busted last August for using illegal steroids, is back in UFC 73. Josh Barnett was caught using drugs in the UFC in 2002 and he continued to fight more than a dozen more opponents afterwards, mostly in the Pride organization in Japan. Tim Sylvia was stripped of his heavyweight title when he tested positive for an anabolic steroid during his fight in UFC 44 in 2003. Similar to others who were busted, Sylvia was given numerous other chances to reclaim his title as the Heavyweight Champion.

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It’s been almost a year since light-heavyweight fighter “The American Psycho” Stephan Bonnar lost to Rashad Evans via an Unanimous Decision from the judges. Only two months later he lost again to Forrest Griffin by a Majority Decision in a rematch gone wrong for Bonnar. Very wrong.

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