UFC Lightweight Champion Sean Sherk will go before the The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) at 12 p.m. ET today to appeal his steroid suspension.
"The Muscle Shark" tested positive for a banned illegal steroid known as "Nandrolone" after his successful 155-pound title defense against Hermes Franca at UFC 73: "Stacked" back in July. Franca also tested positive for steroids; however, he admitted to the charge and accepted the punishment ($2,500 fine and a 12-month suspension).
On the other hand, Sherk has denied taking any banned substances and has stretched out his appeal to put together a solid defense.
If the ruling is upheld Sherk will more than likely face a similar fate as his UFC 73 counterpart. In addition, UFC President Dana White has indicated that he will be stripped of his title.
In that case, BJ Penn is penciled in to fight Joe Stevenson for the vacant lightweight title later this year (UFC 79) or early next.
Stay tuned to see what happens ... finally.
Note: Phil Baroni (EliteXC), Kazuhiro Nakamura and Adam Smith (StrikeForce) are also scheduled to appeal similar cases before the CSAC this afternoon.
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