Fight Week Previews: Sherk vs. Edgar

(For every major MMA fight card, Keyboard Kimura will provide a detailed breakdown of the fights on the Main Card, followed by a Saturday predictions piece.)

Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk (37-3-1) vs. Frankie "The Answer" Edgar (9-1)

This could easily end up being the most entertaining fight of the night.

Sherk has gone the distance in four of his last five fights, including two five round battles. Edgar, on the other hand, has lasted until the final bell in three straight and four of his five UFC tilts. These two lightweights have been in three "Fight of the Night" bouts in their UFC careers and this could certainly earn them a little extra pocket money.

For whatever reason, I never seem to think of Sean Sherk as part of the upper echelon of fighters. In reality, the guy has three career losses and they came at the hands of Matt Hughes during the height of his welterweight dominance, Georges St-Pierre after nearly two years without a loss and his most recent defeat at the hands of B.J. Penn. That's it.

Edgar is a guy that I have liked from the beginning, in part because his last name and my first name are one in the same. Silly, I know, but whatever. Monikers aside, Frankie Edgar's willingness to stand and trade and his skills on the mat brought me from a simple "his name is my name" admiration to being a full-fledged fan.

Normally, you could turn to common opponents as a potential indicator of who might get their hand raised at the end of the night, but these two guys are just too similar to allow that.

Both have fought Tyson Griffin and Hermes Franca, which both coming away with Unanimous Decision victories in each fight.

On the experience front and sheer level of competition, you clearly have to give the edge to Sherk, the former UFC Lightweight champ with more than 40 fights under his belt including numerous championship rounds.

But perhaps there is something to be said for youthful exuberance. The 27-year-old Edgar's only loss came at the hands of Gray Maynard, a fighter some including myself feel will be a world champion in the future.

You'll have to wait until Saturday for my prediction, just as you will for the fight. One thing is for sure though, no matter who you got in this tilt, you're in for a great show.