Big Fight Breakdown - Sherk vs. FrancaBy Jason Probst

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TweetBig Fight Breakdown - Sherk vs. FrancaBy Jason Probst


to showcase the excitement, the little guys of mixed martial arts are getting bigger every time out. And with UFC lightweight champ Sean Sherk slated to make the first defense of his crown against tough contender Hermes Franca at UFC 73 on July 7th, fans should get a high-octane dose of the kind of action that makes the 155-pound division one of the world’s best in terms of pure talent.

Franca is probably most recognizable among casual fans for his distinctively dyed hair – the colors of which run the gamut from pink to green and beyond – but in a 24-fight career, he’s gone 19-5 against extremely tough competition. He’s beaten quality foes like Spencer Fisher, Rich Crunkilton, Caol Uno, Nate Diaz, Ryan Schultz, Gabe Ruediger and Jamie Varner. And his losses – including a close split duke to Josh Thomson, and two decisions to wily Yves Edwards – have been competitive scraps.

Sherk, meanwhile, has soldiered through a career of ups and downs, nearly retiring from the sport a few years ago because he couldn’t make a living fighting. Now that he’s finally a champion, he appears to be ready for a hard-nosed run through a very dangerous division. With everybody from Franca on down gunning for his belt, he’ll have his work cut out for him as long as he stays champion. It begins July 7 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, and it should be a doozy.

Here’s the Big Fight Breakdown on what both men need to do to win.

Scramble the Shark
With his nom de guerre of “Muscle Shark” one of the most fitting nicknames in MMA, Sherk is a lot like the Vince Lombardi-coached Green Bay Packers. He relies on a simple game plan, sans fancy wrinkles, backed up by a high level of preparation and implemented with ruthless execution. There’s no mystery to what Sherk’s strengths are, nor his willingness to try and apply them. He’s built to take people down, keep them there, and flat run them out of gas with a high-energy mix of strikes, positional dominance, and the crushing effect of having a boulder on your chest that saps your energy with each passing minute.

Sherk’s standup has improved noticeably since his early career, but it mainly functions as a skill set to keep him in a good position to uncork fast takedown attempts when you try and connect on the feet. He is masterful at slipping in on a quick opening to seize a body lock, or a leg, and then plant you on the ground.

Franca, more of a classical jiu-jitsu stylist with good standup, can’t let this scenario unfold. First, he’s got to pick the correct angles to strike while minimizing Sherk’s ability to close the gap and tie up. He can do this by changing directions and varying his strikes, keeping the champion guessing.

While lower-leg takedowns are increasingly rare in MMA – what with the risk of getting stuffed and punished for a failed shoot – Sherk is one of the few guys that will try them at a high level because he can stay low to the ground, change levels, and explode into a leg. If this scenario develops, Franca has to sprawl correctly and create a scramble where he can prevent Sherk from “turning the corner” on the leg, in classical wrestler’s fashion, and obtaining the leverage to take him. If he can do this, he can punish the champ with punches and perhaps force him to pull guard to get out of a bad spot.

Size Matters
Unlike boxing, weight classes in mixed martial arts have profound differences in the natural size of guys a mere division apart. With Sherk a former 170-lb. contender (and a very strong one at that), and Franca a former 145-pounder prior to his debut at UFC 42, the size difference between the two could become markedly obvious when they match strengths. And in MMA, a natural size and strength difference is most obvious in the clinch. If Sherk opts to go for a clinch battle instead of risking himself to shoot for a leg or high-crotch-type of takedown, the difference in strength could be dramatic.

Franca can’t let this happen. Sherk is virtually impossible to control with a body-lock and has a very solid base, meaning he’s tough to wrench around and dislodge. He will pretty much do what he wants to do in a chest-to-chest battle, especially against anybody in the 155-pound division. If you’re going to beat him, you either have to imitate the Matt Hughes strategy and out-wrestle him early or imitate Georges St. Pierre by landing precise strikes and stuffing takedowns before putting him on the mat.

Franca can bang on the feet and has to keep it a fight of varying ranges and modes of engagement. Getting into extensive tie-ups with a guy like Sherk is tiring, taxing and a road that leads straight into hell. Not only is Sherk remarkably strong, but he also has top-notch stamina and can go all-out for five rounds (even after spending most of the first ten minutes of the Hughes bout on his back, he rallied to take Hughes down twice in their five-round battle).

Mix it up
As striking evolves in MMA and athletes pick up the nuances of what works, and discarding what doesn’t, every fight is a chance to unleash something new that the other guy hasn’t dealt with. For Franca, this means varying his attacks in standup, punching to head and body, working low, medium and even high kicks, when they’re high-percentage shots, to keep Sherk guessing.

The champ covers up very tight when trading punches, lowering his compact, 5’6 frame and keeping his hands high, like a guy hiding behind a lamppost, and counters with quick shots, typically in between your punches or after a combination. He doesn’t knock people down or out with it, but he isn’t afraid to take one to give one, and that’s a key psychological element which makes his takedowns that much better.

Franca showed his big power in taking out Spencer Fisher in his last fight, but Sherk doesn’t figure to be as easily stopped because he’s so low to the ground and covers up well. Franca, therefore, has to mix kicks and even knees into the equation to lower Sherk’s hands – while not opening himself up to a takedown. It’s a tough assignment given Sherk’s fast reaction times, but an essential part of Franca’s strategy. Get a guy guessing where you’re going to attack him, and he starts worrying about his legs, thighs, body and head. Franca probably has the power and technical advantage in a kickboxing-type of match, and needs to exploit it as much as possible. And if he hurts Sherk, he has to go for the finish immediately, as Sherk recovers quickly and has an instinctive wrestler’s shoot to close the gap when nailed hard.

Intangibles
Both men are on a hot streak, with Sherk, 35-2-1, winning fourteen of fifteen since losing to then-champion Hughes in 2003 (the defeat coming at the hands of St. Pierre). Franca has reeled off eight straight since dropping three in a row during a very trying 2005. Both men know the downside of disappointment, and have resurrected their careers.

Mentally, Sherk is extremely tough. He took the vacant title over a game Kenny Florian at UFC last October with an injured rotator cuff. He survived five rounds against Hughes in a fight where most guys would’ve found a way out. He’s definitely going to be confident assuming he comes in healthy.

Franca has to avoid the seductive lure of conceding the takedown believing his jiu-jitsu skills will submit Sherk. When a fighter is a skilled submission artist facing a better wrestler, they often fall prey to this trap, hoping to catch an opening that scarcely materializes. Physique-wise, Sherk is about the worst kind of guy you could hope to submit, given his short limbs and fire hydrant physique. And while you’re waiting for the golden opportunity, he’s whacking away with punches and elbows, grinding you down as he constantly works to improve position.

On the plus side, Franca also seems to have the kind of one-punch power that can turn a fight around. If he can time it with one of Sherk’s shoots, or seize an opening in a scramble, the Brazilian can take the title with one of the memorable moments that make the sport so unpredictable of late. It’s a real clash of styles in this one, and while game plans definitely play a role, neither of these guys has been anything but impressive lately. That’s why it’s the perfect fight to kick off the title reign of what should prove a very entertaining division in the months and years to come.

[jipped genes]

Tweetsherk 2nd round by kimura

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