Jens Pulver facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jens Pulver |
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Pulver in 2013
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| Born | December 6, 1974 Sunnyside, Washington, U.S. |
| Other names | Little Evil |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) |
| Division | Flyweight (2012) Bantamweight (2011–2014) Featherweight (2007–2013) Lightweight (1999–2007) |
| Reach | 67 in (170 cm) |
| Stance | Southpaw |
| Fighting out of | Crystal Lake, Illinois |
| Team | Shamrock 2000 (1999–2000) Miletich Fighting Systems (2000–2010) Team Curran (2010–2014) |
| Trainer | Boxing: Doug Mango |
| Years active | 1999–2014 |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 4 |
| Wins | 4 |
| By knockout | 3 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 1 |
| Wins | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 47 |
| Wins | 27 |
| By knockout | 14 |
| By submission | 4 |
| By decision | 9 |
| Losses | 19 |
| By knockout | 8 |
| By submission | 9 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
Jens Johnnie Pulver (born December 6, 1974) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist. He was also an undefeated boxer and kickboxer. In 2023, Pulver was added to the UFC Hall of Fame.
Jens Pulver was the very first UFC Lightweight Champion. He also coached on the reality TV show The Ultimate Fighter 5. His rival coach on the show was B.J. Penn. Pulver fought in many different weight classes during his career. These included Lightweight, Featherweight, Bantamweight, and Flyweight. He also boxed as a professional in other weight classes.
Pulver is well-known for fighting in the UFC. He also competed in Pride Fighting Championships. He is the youngest UFC Lightweight Champion in UFC history. He held his title for a long time, defending it twice. Pulver officially stopped fighting in 2014.
His nickname was 'Little Evil'. Pulver won the first UFC Lightweight Championship by beating Caol Uno. This happened at UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk. Pulver also held the record for the most lightweight title defenses in the UFC. He kept this record for almost ten years. He defended his title against Dennis Hallman and B.J. Penn. Jens Pulver is seen as a very important person in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. This is because he was so dominant and undefeated as champion.
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Early Life and Background
Jens Pulver was born in Sunnyside, Washington. He grew up in Maple Valley, Washington, near Seattle. He was the oldest of four children. He had two brothers, Dustin and Abel, and one sister, Jamaica.
Pulver has a harmless condition called heterochromia. This means his eyes are different colors. His right eye is blue, and his left eye is brown. Jens faced many challenges growing up. He found strength and a way forward through sports.
Martial Arts Journey
Before sixth grade, Jens Pulver started a youth wrestling program. He wrestled at Tahoma Senior High School and won two state championships. He also began boxing when he was a junior. Pulver continued wrestling at Highline Community College. He became an NJCAA All-American there. He then wrestled for Boise State University (BSU). His college wrestling career ended due to wrist injuries. Pulver later graduated from BSU with a degree in criminal justice.
While in college, Pulver became very interested in mixed martial arts. He did well in early unofficial fights. He then met Lowell Anderson, who owned a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) school. Lowell helped Pulver get into official MMA events. Pulver impressed UFC matchmaker John Perretti with his fighting.
In 1999, Pulver moved to Lockeford, California. He trained at the Lion's Den for a short time. He then joined Shamrock 2000. This was a training camp started by Bob Shamrock. Bob Shamrock was like a father figure to Jens. Pulver wanted to fight full-time. Bob Shamrock helped him connect with Monte Cox. He sent Pulver to Iowa to train with Pat Miletich. There, Pulver could train as a full-time fighter. He later became the first 155-pound champion in UFC history.
Professional Fighting Career
Jens Pulver started fighting in the UFC in September 1999. He had four fights in the UFC before getting a chance to fight for the title. This was against Caol Uno in February 2001. Pulver won the fight by a unanimous decision. He became the first ever UFC Lightweight Champion. He defended his title two times. He beat Dennis Hallman and B.J. Penn. Pulver then left the UFC because of contract issues. He became known for his mix of wrestling defense and boxing. This style is called "sprawl and brawl" in MMA.
Pulver vs. Hallman: First Title Defense
Pulver's first title defense was against Dennis Hallman. Hallman was known for beating UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes twice. Hallman moved down a weight class to fight Pulver. Both Pulver and Hallman had wrestled in high school in Washington.
During their fight, Hallman tried to get an armbar on Pulver. But Pulver escaped and landed a strong punch. Hallman seemed to struggle after that hit. Pulver won the fight by a unanimous decision.
Pulver vs. Penn: A Memorable Fight
Pulver's second title defense was against B.J. Penn. Penn was a very skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter. He was the first American to win the World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship. Penn quickly became famous in MMA. He showed amazing striking skills, knocking out opponents fast. Many thought Penn was unbeatable before his fight with Pulver.
Pulver's performance against Penn is seen as a highlight of his career. Penn tried to take Pulver to the ground many times. He even got a full mount on him twice. Penn also got a very tight armbar on Pulver's arm. But Pulver fought back hard in the third round. He stopped Penn's attempts to take him down. Pulver even managed to take Penn down himself.
In the fifth round, Penn decided to stand and trade punches with Pulver. They exchanged strikes for the whole five minutes. With 45 seconds left, Pulver hit Penn with a left hand that hurt him. Penn then kicked Pulver in the groin, causing a time-out. After the fight restarted, Pulver hit Penn hard again. The fight went to the judges.
Pulver won the fight by a majority decision. He was very emotional after the win. He showed how much heart he had in that fight.
Leaving and Returning to the UFC
Pulver left the UFC in 2002 due to a contract disagreement. After leaving, he had a few losses. He then started winning again by moving to a lighter weight class (145 lbs). Pulver also began professional boxing in 2004. He won all four of his boxing matches that year. He fought in other MMA groups like Shooto and the IFL. He also had a kickboxing match, which he won.
In December 2004, Pulver returned to the lightweight division in Pride. His first fight in Pride was against Takanori Gomi. Gomi knocked Pulver out in the first round. Pulver then won his next fight by knockout. He later lost to Hayato Sakurai. His final fight in Pride was against Kenji Arai. Pulver won this fight by TKO.
Pulver returned to the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 63. He fought Joe Lauzon. Pulver was expected to win, but Lauzon knocked him out in just 48 seconds. After the fight, Pulver said he still wanted to fight in the UFC.
Pulver became a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 5 TV show. He coached against his old rival, B.J. Penn. They fought at the end of the season, and Penn won. After this, Pulver decided to move to the featherweight division in the WEC.
In 2023, the UFC announced that Jens Pulver would be inducted into the Pioneer Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. He found out about this during a live stream on the UFC's Twitch.TV channel.
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Other Fights
Jens Pulver joined World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) in 2007. He won his first WEC fight against Cub Swanson by submission. He then aimed for the 145-pound title held by Urijah Faber.
Pulver and Faber fought at WEC 34 in June 2008. The fight went all five rounds. Faber won by unanimous decision. This was Pulver's first loss at featherweight. Pulver wanted another chance at the title.
Pulver then lost to Leonard Garcia by TKO. He also lost a rematch against Urijah Faber by submission. After these losses, Pulver worked as a color commentator for WEC. He later lost two more fights in WEC. After his loss at WEC 47, UFC President Dana White announced that Pulver was no longer with the WEC.
After leaving WEC, Pulver fought in independent promotions. He had a tough time, losing several fights in a row. But he broke his losing streak in January 2011, winning by submission. He then won two more fights in a row. In December 2011, he lost to Tim Elliott. Elliott later said Pulver was his biggest inspiration.
In 2012, Pulver signed with UK promotion Cage Warriors. He also won a fight against Jesse Thorton.
ONE Fighting Championship
In August 2012, Pulver fought Eric Kelly in the ONE Fighting Championship. He lost this fight in the second round. In October 2012, Pulver entered ONE Championship's Bantamweight Grand Prix. He won his first fight in the tournament. In April 2013, he lost in the semifinals to Masakatsu Ueda.
Personal Life
Jens Pulver has a daughter. He got married in 2009. He and his wife have a son, born in December 2008.
A documentary called "Jens Pulver: Driven" was made about his training and life. In 2014, Pulver appeared on The Vanilla Ice Project TV show. He was part of a computer and video gaming team called Red Harbinger. His gamer name was "Little Evil."
Achievements and Awards
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- UFC Hall of Fame (Pioneer wing, Class of 2023)
- UFC Lightweight Championship (One time; first ever champion)
- Two successful title defenses
- First UFC Lightweight Champion to defend the title
- First Lightweight to headline a UFC Event (vs. B.J. Penn)
- UFC Encyclopedia Awards
- Fight of the Night (One time) (vs. B.J. Penn)
- Knockout of the Night (One time) (vs. John Lewis)
- PRIDE Fighting Championship
- PRIDE 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix Quarterfinalist
- World Extreme Cagefighting
- Fight of the Night (One time)
- ONE Fighting Championship
- ONE FC Bantamweight Grand Prix Semifinalist
Images for kids
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Pulver in 2013
