With nearly 3 to 1 odds favoring BJ Penn the outcome was a no brainer.  How the fight developed and ultimately came to an end however, was a complete surprise.  What was expected to be a showcase of high level Brazilian Jujitsu vs Wrestling - never materialized, instead a display of boxing from both fighters ruled 90% of the bout.

Fight Summary

True to Sherk’s word there was not much of a feeling out process, about 10 seconds from the opening bell he immediately attempts his first (of 2) takedown attempts and is able to get a hold of Penn’s left leg.  BJ’s unwordly flexibility has him sprawling with one leg as the other is tucked in underneath Sherk,  quickly letting go Sherk decides to keep boxing with BJ.   For the next 15 minutes both fighters respect each other’s ground game enough to keep it standing until the end of the 3rd round.  With 5 seconds left Penn connected with a 3hit combination that sent Sherk reeling back - BJ immediately closed in and punished Sherk with a direct hit with a flying knee to Sean’s head and finished him off with a flurry of unanswered blows Caol Uno style.  Sherk was unable to answer the bell and Mario Yamasaki made it official - The Prodigy is the undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion of the world.

Here I’ll try and dissect the fight between the two champions and update their fight profiles for future fights..