Sherdog’s Top 10: Bloodiest Battles

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4. Sean Sherk vs. Kenny Florian
UFC 64 “Unstoppable” -- Oct. 14, 2006
Mandalay Bay Events Center | Las Vegas
The UFC brought its lightweight title back for the first time since 2003 at UFC 64, and the thickly muscled Sherk entered the bout as a solid favorite against Florian, a veteran of Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter.” While Florian struggled to defend his opponent’s shots throughout the five-round tilt, he made sure that “The Muscle Shark” left it all on the canvas -- literally. In fact, as he spent much of the fight defending against the powerful Sherk from his back -- he was taken down eight times over the 25-minute duration -- it is entirely possible that Florian came to regret the sharpness of his own elbows.

A series of short elbows landed by Florian from his back in round two lacerated Sherk on the side of his forehead, and the bleeding was pretty much a constant for the rest of scrap.

“Nothing like a little blood to motivate you,” said guest analyst Randy Couture.

Florian received an up-close-and-personal glimpse of his handiwork, as Sherk continually leaked into his opponent’s eyes from top position. At one point, “Ken-Flo” needed a brief respite so that he could have the blood cleaned from his eyes, but he was forced to blink and squint beneath an unyielding assault for the rest of the night.

Despite frantic efforts to fix the cut, Sherk began drizzling down his torso before round three could even begin. To his credit, the Minnesotan took great care to position his head so that Florian could not connect with more elbows in hopes of earning a doctor stoppage. Sherk’s diligence paid off, as he emerged with a clear-cut unanimous decision.

“It was just a bloody, bloody war,” Sherk said after the bout’s conclusion.

Apparently, nobody makes “The Muscle Shark” bleed his own blood and gets away with it.

Number 3 » Bad Blood