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 | Lil' Evil, Lil' Fighter |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 156 lb (71 kg; 11.1 st) |
| Division | Flyweight (2012) Bantamweight (2011–2014) Featherweight (2007–2013) Lightweight (1999–2007) |
| Reach | 67 in (170 cm) |
| Style | Boxing, Wrestling, Kickboxing, BJJ, Shootboxing |
| 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 an American retired professional mixed martial artist. He was also an undefeated boxer and kickboxer. Jens Pulver was the very first UFC Lightweight Champion. He also coached on the The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show against his rival B.J. Penn.
Pulver competed in different weight classes during his career. These included Lightweight, Featherweight, Bantamweight, and Flyweight in MMA. He also fought as a professional boxer in other weight classes.
Jens Pulver is best known for fighting in the UFC. He also competed in Pride Fighting Championships. He is still the youngest UFC Lightweight Champion in UFC history. He gave up his title after defending it twice because of a contract disagreement. Pulver officially stopped fighting in 2014.
His nickname is Lil' Evil. Pulver won the first UFC Lightweight Championship by beating Caol Uno at UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk. He held the UFC's record for lightweight title defenses for almost ten years. This was after he successfully defended his title against Dennis Hallman at UFC 33: Victory in Vegas and B.J. Penn at UFC 35: Throwdown. He is seen as one of the most important people in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. This is because he was so dominant and undefeated as the UFC Lightweight Champion in the early days of the company.
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Early Life and Background
Jens Pulver was born in Sunnyside, Washington. He grew up in Maple Valley, Washington, which is near Seattle. He was the oldest of four children. He had two brothers, Dustin and Abel, and one sister, Jamaica.
Pulver has a harmless medical condition called heterochromia. This means his eyes are different colors. His right eye is blue, and his left eye is brown. Pulver has spoken about having a difficult childhood.
Martial Arts Journey
Before sixth grade, Pulver met a family friend named Jack Vantress. Jack encouraged Pulver to join a youth wrestling program. Pulver became a great wrestler at Tahoma Senior High School. He won two state championships. He also started Boxing when he was a junior.
Pulver continued wrestling in college. He became an NJCAA All-American. However, he broke both his wrists, which ended his amateur wrestling career. He later graduated from Boise State University with a degree in criminal justice.
While in college, Pulver became interested in mixed martial arts. He found success fighting in unofficial events. He then met Lowell Anderson, who owned a Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) academy. Lowell helped Pulver get into official MMA events. Pulver impressed the UFC matchmaker, John Perretti, with his fights.
In 1999, Pulver moved to California. He trained at the Lion's Den for a short time. Then he joined Shamrock 2000. This was a training camp started by Bob Shamrock. Pulver really looked up to Bob Shamrock. He even asked if he could use the Shamrock name. Bob told him, "You go out there and make the Pulver name mean something good." Pulver later became the first 155-pound champion in UFC history.
Professional Fighting Career
Pulver started fighting in the UFC in September 1999. He fought four times before getting a chance to fight for the title. In February 2001, he fought Caol Uno. Pulver won the fight and became the first UFC Lightweight Champion.
He defended his title two times against Dennis Hallman and B.J. Penn. After these fights, he left the UFC because of contract issues. Pulver became known for his fighting style. It combined defensive wrestling and boxing. This style is often called "sprawl and brawl" in MMA.
Defending the Title: Pulver vs. Hallman
Pulver's first title defense was against Dennis Hallman. Hallman was known for beating Matt Hughes twice. Hallman moved down to Pulver's weight class to fight for the Lightweight Championship in September 2001.
During the fight, Hallman tried to use an armbar on Pulver. But Pulver escaped and landed a strong left hook on Hallman. Hallman seemed unable to fully recover after that punch. Pulver won the fight by a unanimous decision from the judges.
The Epic Battle: Pulver vs. Penn
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 quickly. Many thought Penn was unbeatable before his fight with Pulver.
Pulver's performance against Penn is considered a highlight of his career. Penn tried to take Pulver to the ground many times. He even got into a dominant position twice in the second round. Penn also got an armbar on Pulver, which looked very dangerous.
But Pulver fought back in the third round. He stopped Penn from taking him down. He even managed to take Penn down defensively. Pulver showed incredible determination. He won the later rounds and even out-grappled Penn. In the fifth round, Penn decided to stand and trade punches with Pulver. With 45 seconds left, Pulver hit Penn with a left hand that stunned him. Penn then kicked Pulver in the groin, causing a time-out. When the fight restarted, Pulver stunned Penn again.
Pulver won the fight by a majority decision. After the fight, he was very emotional. He said, "On the ground again!...I've been beat on my whole life, this is nothing." This showed his toughness and fighting spirit.
Leaving and Returning to the UFC
Pulver left the UFC in 2002 due to contract disagreements. After leaving, he had a few losses. He then moved down to a lighter weight class (145 pounds) and started winning again. He also became a professional boxer and won all four of his boxing matches in 2004.
Pulver fought in other MMA organizations like Shooto and the IFL. He also had a kickboxing match where he won. In December 2004, Pulver returned to the lightweight division in Pride.
His first fight in Pride was against the champion Takanori Gomi. Both fighters showed excellent boxing skills. Gomi eventually knocked out Pulver with a powerful uppercut. Pulver then won his next fight by knockout. He later lost to Hayato Sakurai in a tough fight. Pulver's final fight in Pride was a win against Kenji Arai.
Pulver returned to the Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 63 in 2006. He fought Joe Lauzon and was knocked out in the first round. Pulver later became a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show. He coached against his rival, B.J. Penn. They fought at the end of the show, and Penn won. After this, Pulver decided to move to the featherweight division in the WEC.
In 2023, the UFC announced that Pulver would be added to the Pioneer Wing of the UFC Hall of Fame. He found out about this during a live stream.
World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Beyond
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 2008. The fight went all five rounds, and Faber won by unanimous decision. This was the first time Pulver had lost at featherweight. Pulver later lost to Leonard Garcia and then again to Urijah Faber in a rematch.
After several losses, Pulver was released from the WEC. He continued to fight in independent promotions. In 2011, he broke a six-fight losing streak by winning against Mike Lindquist. He then won two more fights. His last professional MMA fight was in 2013.
Personal Life
Jens Pulver has a daughter. He got married in 2009 and has a son, who was born in December 2008.
There is a documentary about his life called "Jens Pulver: Driven." It covers his training and his difficult childhood. In 2014, Pulver appeared on The Vanilla Ice Project. He was part of a computer and video gaming team called Red Harbinger. He used the gamer name "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 in UFC History
- First Lightweight to headline a UFC Event (against B.J. Penn)
- 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
