posted May 19, 2008 at 13:08 in UFC / MMA Articles

BetUS Sportsbook mixed martial arts bettors will witness the return of Sean Sherk to championship action when UFC 84 gets underway on May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. He'll have a tall order on his hands, as he takes on UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn.

BetUS UFC Betting Odds

UFC Lightweight Title (Five rounds)

May 24 -- Las Vegas

B.J. PENN -230

SEAN SHERK +180

For betting purposes, let's size up the contestants:

PENN (12-4, 4 KO's, 5 submissions), the -230 favorite in the BetUS UFC betting odds, is a former winner of the World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu championship. He turned pro as an MMA fighter in 2001, and in his just his fourth fight lost to Jens Pulver in an attempt to win the UFC's lightweight title. he fought a second time for that crown and was held to a draw by Caol Uno. He then moved to the welterweight division, and in January 2004 he submitted Matt Hughes to win the UFC welterweight title. Penn then signed with K-1 and was stripped of his UFC title. He scored wins over Rodrigo Gracie and Renzo Gracie while with K-1, and also lost a decision to Lyoto Machida, despite being outweighed to a considerable degree. In 2006 he returned to the UFC, and lost to Georges St. Pierre. But when GSP could not fulfill a title date with Hughes due to an injury, Penn as inserted, only to lose that rematch. Penn got revenge over Pulver when he choked him out at the conclusion of "The Ultimate Fighter 5," than won the lightweight title at UFC 80 when he beat Joe Stevenson on a rear naked choke in the second round. With that, Penn joined Randy Couture as the only UFC competitors to win titles in two different divisions.

SHERK (32-2-1, 9 KO's, 12 submissions), the +180 underdog at BetUS, is a veteran of nine years in MMA. he won his first 12 bouts as a pro, along the way scoring a couple of wins over Karo Parisyan, then joined up with the UFC in 2001. he got a welterweight title shot against Matt Hughes in April of 2003, and lost a decision. Subsequent to that, he fought once in PRIDE, than campaigned as an "independent." After a brief retirement, he returned to the UFC in November of 2005 and was TKO'd by Georges St. Pierre. After bouncing back to beat Nick Diaz, he dropped to the lightweight division, and won that title with a decision over Kenny Florian, an alumnus of "The Ultimate Fighter," in October 2006. After defending his title successfully against Hermes Franca last July, he tested positive for steroids (along with Franca). Controversy ensued, as Sherk went through regulatory hearings in California, got his suspension reduced from a year to six months, then challenged the validity of the testing procedure. Ultimately he lost on that claim, and when the California commission upheld the tests, he was stripped of his title by the UFC.

This is Sherk's first fight since coming off his suspension. because MMA has had a rather scattered testing policy, there is no telling how many fights he may have used an otherwise banned substance, if at all. But you really don't know how these guys are going to respond when they come back for the first time. It can make a difference, for sure. Sherk has fought just once in the last 19 months, and that kind of inactivity can work against a fighter, obviously. With all of Sherk's pro fights in MMA, some might question the entire body of work from a standpoint of pure quality, relative to the won-loss figure. This much is known - when Sherk came up against his two biggest tests, against Hughes and St. Pierre, he did not come away with a win.

It has been said by some MMA observers that Sherk is sufficiently angered over statements that Penn has made labeling him a "cheater," that this will be an extra added incentive for him to "prove himself." Well, trash talking in the fight game is about as rare as jailhouse tattoos on an NBA player. If you need "bulletin board" material to motivate you further, you are most definitely in the wrong business.

Penn has better results against world-class opposition, and giving up all that weight to the still-undefeated Machida (who fights Tito Ortiz on this same card) and going the distance proves not only that he is gutsy but that he is resourceful. he can obviously hold his own on the ground, he is improving with his strikes, and to me, has more of what I would call "useful" experience. I favor a decision win for B.J. Penn, the -230 favorite in the BetUS UFC betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: PENN TO WIN (-230) ***

(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

(Charles Jay of www.eBookies.com is a former manager, matchmaker and color commentator in professional boxing. He currently pulls no punches in the BetUS Locker Room)