Sherk-Griffin set for UFC 90

The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Wednesday announced that former lightweight champion Sean Sherk would be facing Tyson Griffin at UFC 90 on Oct. 25 in Chicago. MMAWeekly.com first confirmed the match-up on Aug. 5.

The fight is Sherk's first since falling short against B.J. Penn at UFC 84 in May. Sherk held the lightweight title for a year following a victory over Kenny Florian at UFC 64, but was stripped of the belt after the California State Athletic Commission upheld his suspension arising from a positive test for Norandrolone at UFC 73. In an interview with MMAWeekly.com at the International Mixed Martial Arts Expo earlier this month, Sherk expressed his desire to stay at the top of the division.

"I don't want to fight up-and-coming guys," he said. "You start fighting up-and-coming guys and you have to fight more guys to make your way up to the top. I want to fight the best of the best, and that's what I'm doing with this upcoming fight."

Xtreme Couture fighter Griffin appears to fit that bill. At 5-1 in his UFC career, Griffin has shown himself to be a relentless competitor inside the Octagon. Riding high off a decision win against Marcus Aurelio at UFC 86, Griffin will look to land within striking distance of a future title shot.

Griffin and Sherk were unavailable for comment at the time of this writing.