The first UFC lightweight champion is finally being inducted into the Hall of Fame. At UFC 284, it was announced that Jens Pulver would be the latest inductee into the 2023 UFC Hall of Fame. During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Pulver described the feeling of gaining MMA immortality. “It’s exactly like winning the […]
The first UFC lightweight champion is finally being inducted into the Hall of Fame. At UFC 284, it was announced that Jens Pulver would be the latest inductee into the 2023 UFC Hall of Fame.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour, Pulver described the feeling of gaining MMA immortality.
“It’s exactly like winning the world title because I still don’t believe it. It still hasn’t really sunk in,” Pulver said. “I never knew if this would happen. It means everything to me cause this is such a rare moment and it’s been building up every year.”
Pulver won the inaugural UFC lightweight title at UFC 30 in February 2021. He went on to defend the title twice. He was also a head coach on The Ultimate Fighter season 5.
Twitch “Changed Everything” For Jens Pulver
“Lil Evil” admits that 3 years ago he wasn’t ready for a revamped relationship with fighting. He credits Twitch streaming for rejuvenating his passion for mixed martial arts.
The 48-year-old leads UFC’s Twitch channel. He is joined by multiple guests each week.
“I’m glad that it [took so long]…Two, three years ago, I would’ve told you f**k no,” Pulver said. “That UFC Twitch stream… changed everything for me. It gave me worth, it gave me value…The fact that people would come into this chat just to sit there and talk to me on the stream. I was like ‘this is unreal’ so I finally was happy where I was at in life and I didnt need fighting anymore. I finally moved on from fighting.”
Inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver was recently announced as an upcoming inductee into the UFC’s Hall of Fame. Pulver was a key figure in the early years of the UFC’s lightweight division. His epic rivalry with BJ Penn carried o…
Inaugural UFC Lightweight Champion Jens Pulver was recently announced as an upcoming inductee into the UFC’s Hall of Fame. Pulver was a key figure in the early years of the UFC’s lightweight division. His epic rivalry with BJ Penn carried over from the title scene to The Ultimate Fighter. Boasting a vicious kickboxing style, Pulver…
Former undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Jens Pulver shared his emotional reaction to the news of his induction into the promotion’s Hall of Fame this year – as he live streamed his reaction to last night’s UFC 284 event in Perth, Australia. Pulver, a former undisputed lightweight champion under the banner of the UFC, boasts a […]
Former undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Jens Pulver shared his emotional reaction to the news of his induction into the promotion’s Hall of Fame this year – as he live streamed his reaction to last night’s UFC 284 event in Perth, Australia.
Pulver, a former undisputed lightweight champion under the banner of the UFC, boasts a 29-17-1 professional record, having hung up his gloves from active competition back in 2013.
Jens Pulver became the inaugural UFC lightweight champion back in 2001
A coach on The Ultimate Fighter 5 against former two-weight champion, B.J. Penn – Jens Pulver became the inaugural UFC lightweight champion back in 2001, defeating Caol Uno in a unanimous decision victory, before defending successfully against Dennis Hallman, and the aforenoted, Penn – before departing the organization and vacating his lightweight crown amid a contract dispute.
Long called to receive an induction into the promotion’s Hall of Fame, during last night’s broadcast of UFC 284 from the RAC Arena, Pulver was officially announced as the latest induction into the promotion’s Hall of Fame.
The moment Jens found out he was inducted into the UFC HOF; such an amazing video with so much real emotion. Well deserved for a true legend of the sport. pic.twitter.com/YmL2BsNFoB
Competing under the banners of the likes of Pride FC, WEC, and ONE Championship, Pulver became the first lightweight in Octagon history to headliner a promotional event, as well as becoming the first lightweight champion to ever defend a championship with his successful victory over Hallman.
Last night’s UFC 284 event saw a main card finish for featherweight force, Yair Rodríguez, who subsequently struck interim division gold courtesy of an impressive second round triangle submission win over Josh Emmett.
In the night’s headliner, fellow featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanvoski pushed lightweight kingpin, Islam Makahchev the five round distance and to his absolute limit to boot – eventually suffering a close, debated unanimous decision defeat to the Russian (48-47, 48-47, 49-46).
The old saying that, ‘what goes up must come down’ has been proven time and time again in the Octagon over the years, though some fighters have experienced the second half of that equation far more vividly – and indeed violently – than others. It’s a strange phenomenon to bear witness to, as a fighter
The old saying that, ‘what goes up must come down’ has been proven time and time again in the Octagon over the years, though some fighters have experienced the second half of that equation far more vividly – and indeed violently – than others.
It’s a strange phenomenon to bear witness to, as a fighter who could do no wrong suddenly find themselves in a position where they can’t seem to do anything right.
Whether it’s the effects of age, an accumulation of injuries, a weakened chin, or a loss of focus, in this article we’ll look at 10 classic examples of fighters whose career entered into that dreaded downward spiral while competing in the UFC and were never able to recover from it.
Roger Huerta
It’s hard to believe now, but back in 2007 Roger Huerta was being tipped as the next big thing in the UFC.
Huerta enjoyed a rapid ascent up the UFC pecking order, entering the promotion after a long unbeaten run and then racking up six wins in a row inside the Octagon while also landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine at a time when mainstream exposure was hard to come by.
Huerta seemed to have the world at his feet, but he took his eye off the prize when he began dating ‘That 70’s Show’ actress Laura Prepon and started talking about leaving the UFC to pursue an acting career.
His downward descent proved to be as swift as his rise had been, with back-to-back losses coming to Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard before his UFC departure in 2009.
Huerta’s relationship with Prepon and acting career didn’t take off, and his MMA career never recovered, posting a tepid 3-6 record over the past seven years away from the bright lights of the UFC.
Fighters have long utilized the left hook as a way to counter their opponents and inflict fight-ending damage. A proper slip followed by a left hook can change the momentum in any fight, many times resulting in a win – in this list, however, we target something a little different. In the following examples, we
Fighters have long utilized the left hook as a way to counter their opponents and inflict fight-ending damage. A proper slip followed by a left hook can change the momentum in any fight, many times resulting in a win – in this list, however, we target something a little different.
In the following examples, we take a look at five times that a single left hook has not only changed the trajectory of a fight, but rather shifted the momentum of an entire career. The selections are specific to UFC bouts, each with a unique storyline line that followed the fight ending blow.
It’s time to fire up the UFC Fight Pass subscription and see who made the list, because these knockouts are must-see for any fight fan.
The fights selected span over the entirety of the UFC’s 23 year history and range from title fights to normal bouts. The placement of each bout on the list is dependent on the magnitude of the knock out from an in-fight perspective, and how it affected the careers of the fighters involved following the bout.
(Woah, hold on a second, Nate. We both see those tiny Christina Aguilera monsters scurrying around on the canvas, right? Photo via Getty.)
Thanks in part to Joe Rogan’s heartfelt and brutally honest call for UFC heavyweight and close friend Brendan Schaub to retire, head trauma has once again been thrust into the limelight of the MMA blogosphere (along with, you know, that multimillion dollar lawsuit thingy). And honestly, it’s a difficult discussion to have when the people calling for so-and-so’s retirement are the very same who have a good chuckle every time some dude gets felled like a oak tree. If we tune in each weekend with the expectation (and dare I say it, hope) of seeing a fighter get his lights turned off, then who are we to tell them when *we’ve* grown tired of seeing it happen?
Look no further than the case of Gray Maynard, for instance. Just a few years ago, Maynard was considered to be one of the toughest fighters in the lightweight division — a man who was just barely edged by Frankie Edgar after inflicting some trauma of his own on the former champ. In the time since, “The Bully” has dropped four out of his past five contests, with every last one of those losses coming via an increasingly difficult to watch form of TKO.
The cries for Maynard to simply give up on his dream and retire have grown louder with each skull-shattering loss, but the TUF 5 alum has refused to hear them. In a move that is sure to draw the same cringeworthy reaction from those critics, Maynard recently signed an eight fight extension with the UFC that will most certainly account for a couple more black spots on his brain in the not-so-distant future.
After the jump: More details on Maynard’s eight-fight deal. Plus, Pat Barry goes on the defensive (no!), and Jens Pulver unretires again (NOOOO!!!!).
(Woah, hold on a second, Nate. We both see those tiny Christina Aguilera monsters scurrying around on the canvas, right? Photo via Getty.)
Thanks in part to Joe Rogan’s heartfelt and brutally honest call for UFC heavyweight and close friend Brendan Schaub to retire, head trauma has once again been thrust into the limelight of the MMA blogosphere (along with, you know, that multimillion dollar lawsuit thingy). And honestly, it’s a difficult discussion to have when the people calling for so-and-so’s retirement are the very same who have a good chuckle every time some dude gets felled like a oak tree. If we tune in each weekend with the expectation (and dare I say it, hope) of seeing a fighter get his lights turned off, then who are we to tell them when *we’ve* grown tired of seeing it happen?
Look no further than the case of Gray Maynard, for instance. Just a few years ago, Maynard was considered to be one of the toughest fighters in the lightweight division — a man who was just barely edged by Frankie Edgar after inflicting some trauma of his own on the former champ. In the time since, “The Bully” has dropped four out of his past five contests, with every last one of those losses coming via an increasingly difficult to watch form of TKO.
The cries for Maynard to simply give up on his dream and retire have grown louder with each skull-shattering loss, but the TUF 5 alum has refused to hear them. In a move that is sure to draw the same cringeworthy reaction from those critics, Maynard recently signed an eight fight extension with the UFC that will most certainly account for a couple more black spots on his brain in the not-so-distant future.
But according to the former #1 contender, he’s had all the necessary MRI’s and stuff, so we should all just stop worrying! As he told Bloody Elbow:
I wanted to take a little time off. My last three fights were all TKOs, so I took time off after each bout, just in case. There’s been lots of talk about traumatic head injuries, so I wanted time to heal up. Every time I would talk to Dana, he would have me go get checked out, head to toe with MRIs and all kinds of stuff. I realize that this career won’t last forever. I have a daughter now, too. I have to take care of myself.
Those last two statements, you guys. I just can’t.
Speaking of head trauma, there aren’t many fighters who have suffered more of it in the past 4 years than Jens Pulver, who has retired and unretired no less than 16 times in that span. With his career record ever-nearing the .500 mark, Pulver most recently came out of his retirement over the weekend, announcing that he would be facing the currently unbeaten Fransino Tirta at ONE FC 26 in February. It is a questionable move for the 40-year-old, to put it lightly, but one that fits into the former UFC champion’s “take no prisoners” lifestyle.
While being a smart enough guy to both acknowledge and address our concerns for his health, Pulver told MMAJunkie that, “Life isn’t guaranteed, but you ride that son of a bi-ch until the wheels fall off.”
“That’s the way I look at it,” Pulver continued, “Now, let me find out that I have dementia and then come back and talk to me. Let’s see if I say the same thing then.”
There’s really not much you can say about a man who simply refuses to heed the words of his naysayers, so let’s just hope that it doesn’t take a horrific mental disease in order to finally get Pulver to do so. It seems to be headed that way, though.
Also mentioned in Old Dad’s riveting/depressing latest read was Pat Barry, the former UFC fighter and current kickboxer who has been viciously knocked out in his past 3 performances across both platforms. His most recent bout against Zack Mwekassa at Glory 16 was a particularly tough loss to watch, and was followed by the usual cries for him to retire. Chief among them was Barry’s former training partner Brock Lesnar, who had been calling for Barry to hang up his gloves dating back to his final fights in the UFC.
But “HD” simply isn’t hearing it.
“People tell you, ‘Come on man, you’ve got to stop,’” said Barry to MMAJunkie. “But what do you care? Don’t you want to see people get bludgeoned out there? Don’t you want to see people get high-kicked unconscious? Isn’t that what you’re watching these highlights and stuff for? And yeah, they do want to see that. So why do you suddenly care about me now?”
It takes me back to my opening point, and one we have discussed countless times before. As fans of combat sports, we are inherently drawn to the spectacle of seeing someone get dropped with a head kick, or submitted with a leg lock (unless the person doing the submitting is Rousimar Palhares), etc. It’s why we tune in week after week — to see the most dangerous athletes in the world battle in the ultimate test of technique, heart, or some combination of the two — and simultaneously why we so passionately object when we feel a fighter is being misappropriated, often by their own doing.
But to quote Saccaro, “In an age when athletes are shooting themselves in the chest to preserve their battered brains for study, we have to ask ourselves what combat sports (and even contact sports in general) are worth.”
Former undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Jens Pulver shared his emotional reaction to the news of his induction into the promotion’s Hall of Fame this year – as he live streamed his reaction to last night’s UFC 284 event in Perth, Australia. Pulver, a former undisputed lightweight champion under the banner of the UFC, boasts a […]
