Jens Pulver: Making his Way at 143
Josh Gross Jul 9, 2004
Jens Pulver (Photo Gallery) is "beat
up." His knees are "sore." He can't remember the last time his
hands, responsible for many a knockout, weren't "swollen."
In other words, Pulver -- the only 155-pound champion in UFC history whose troubled past has haunted him in and out of the ring -- feels great.
Since parting ways with the UFC in the middle of 2002, Pulver's
never been busier. Forget fighting once or twice a year. Pulver's
immersed himself in combat sports, training and competing in
traditional boxing, grappling and mixed martial arts. And while he
admits the training and fighting are "draining" and he needs a
break, he's not about to slow down.
Friday night in Hawaii, Pulver faces Stephen Palling (Photo Gallery) in a SHOOTO 143-pound clash, which, should he win, could lead to a title fight versus Brazilian juggernaut "Pequeno" Nogueira. "I'm not really too worried about winning or losing anymore," said Pulver from his Waikiki hotel room. "I'm just out there to fight, do my fight, and be pleased at what I do at the end of the day, whether I win or lose."
This marks his second contest at the 143-pound limit, and, said Pulver, it's where he belongs. "I'm still strong. It's starting to get easier to make. It's still hard, but it's definitely my weight class and I feel the strength difference. And the biggest thing is I'm not being overpowered or outsized really by anybody."
The experiment at a lighter weight began last year when Pulver overmatched lesser opponents. His first test came this March in Tokyo, when "Little Evil," fighting in his first SHOOTO-sanctioned bout, faced Naoya Uematsu (Photo Gallery).
Over 129 seconds of action, Pulver boxed his way through Uematsu, landing vicious body shots behind an amazing 35 jabs. The hard punching American, despite the fact that his detractors loved to bring up his methodical style, particularly during his days as UFC champ, had always shown an ability to land the fight-ending shot. There was little to complain about after his demolition of Uematsu.
"I've been working, working, working on going to the body, and I just knew I was going to," Pulver said. "I started throwing a lot more combinations and when I finally got the knockout it was because he was so tired of getting blasted that he just started flinching at everything I threw, and it allowed me to set him up."
Having felt several power punches to his midsection, Uematsu reacted to a Pulver feint and was left open upstairs. Pulver blasted him to the head, ricocheting Uematsu off the ropes towards a mean uppercut. Then Pulver launched a missile of a left hand that put the dazed Uematsu to the canvas.
"After the (Duane) Ludwig (Photo Gallery) fight I really started working on people counter-punching me, on my striking, but more than that I've developed a lot stronger mental game," he said.
Pulver on Boxing
His boxing education was tested last month when Pulver squared off against a 3-0 opponent on ESPN 2's Tuesday Night Fights. Winning, which he did with a split decision, wasn't nearly as important as staying active and improving. The move to boxing is not a second career, he said.
"In boxing you're changing levels and slipping punches, and then to be able to come back and fire punches after you make 'em miss," he said. "I used to be so happy that I could slip a punch that I'd never fire afterwards."
You can bet that Naoya Uematsu wishes Pulver never would've picked up the Sweet Science.
There are nuances, however, that don't necessarily allow for a successful adaptation of traditional boxing into mixed martial arts. The stance is different. The ability to bob and weave your way out of flurries can be hazardous. Turning over your punches and extending for full power can leave one open to get taken down.
But Pulver is no rookie, and he's taken those things into account.
"The cool thing about it is I'm going to change my angles and I'm going to get into more of a boxing stance because when they do shoot into me I'm going to start wrestling from there," Pulver said. "It's helped me develop the idea that I'm not going to worry about the takedown until they shoot in on me. Until that, I'm going to keep standing up and move the way I want to move boxing-wise and I'll defend. I mean, if it starts getting too much I'll switch back. But overall, if they want to take me to the ground they got to get me to the ground and then they have to do something when they get on the ground. So I'll just switch it up once they get in on me, then I'll change up my stance."
MMA vs Boxing
So, Jens, which sport is tougher -- MMA or boxing?
"MMA," he answered emphatically, "there's so much more to worry about. So many more weapons are being thrown at you that it's without a doubt the tougher sport as far as the elements that can end a fight. Whereas boxing it's just hands. If somebody's got better hands maybe they can get them through and knock you out. But in MMA, man, I can knock you out with my knees; I can knock you out with my kicks, my elbows. I can plum you up. You can't just get away with just punching. I can take you down, submit you. I can choke you. There's just too many more factors that can end a fight in MMA. It's like playing chess with a regular person then playing chess against a pro. That's what MMA is. There are so many more elements, you know. You have to train for everything and that's what makes it harder.
"Little Evil" gets a favorable match-up tonight versus Palling, a hard-punching Hawaiian who's enjoyed success against some of SHOOTO's best at 143. "I'm going to stand-up," he promised. "I've been knocked out before. Like I've said, I've got nothing to lose. The only thing I can lose is if I don't excite the fans, and that's what my goal is. ... If he just so happens to land the hard shots and the more powerful shots then it might be his day."
Taking on Hawaiian Fighters
Pulver's no stranger to heavy-fisted Hawaiians. In his final UFC title defense January 2002, Pulver won a hard-fought decision over BJ Penn (Photo Gallery), who two years later would defeat Pulver's teammate, Matt Hughes, to earn the UFC welterweight title.
Penn was the fighter Pulver pointed to when he sat down at the negotiating table with UFC president Dana White. The Hawaiian, despite never having been champion, was fighting under a lucrative contract that paid him more than Pulver. A new deal never materialized, so "Little Evil" left in hopes of finding financial windfall.
He's done all right for himself, yet for some reason "Little Evil" has failed to earn the level of money that's been offered to Penn, who recently left the UFC for a hefty multiple-fight deal with K-1.
"It used to bother me," Pulver said, "even when I was at 155, you know. It's just the vendettas of some people and their ability to hold grudges or whatever they want to do, and that's what they wanted to do: keep me out of the big show. That's fine. You sit there and watch people make big money in this game that you don't really think should be making the big money."
"I stopped questioning myself," he continued. "I used to question my work as far as a fighter when it first started happening. It led down to my downfall as far as fighting Ludwig and (Jason) Maxwell and getting beat. I just basically was pouting, more or less, wondering why I wasn't worth the money. So, again, now I'm doing it because that's who I am, a fighter. That's what I love doing is fighting. I have so much fun being around the fans and stuff that the money -- I've pretty much bit the bullet that I'm never going to get it. I'm never going to have the six-figure fights. I'm never going to be a Tito or Chuck or even Matt Hughes, making that type of money. Or the heavyweights. And so be it. That's how it is. But I can still go out there and be known as one of the best fighters period, whether or not they want to pay me.
"I've pretty much given up on the idea of ever being in the UFC, and so that's helped me find myself and it helped me realize why I'm out here fighting and what I love doing. It's made my fighting a lot better."
Rematch with BJ Penn
There's a good chance that Penn will be in the arena tonight, watching the only man to have defeated him, but Pulver holds no grudges against his toughest rival.
"BJ's done a great job," Pulver said. "He beat the right people. He's an explosive fighter, an exciting fighter. It bothered me in the beginning that the UFC would even try and put a worth on me and pay other fighters more money and things of that nature. You know, basically I was their little white workhorse -- that's all I was. It sucked to see BJ was in there in the K-1 and he can pretty much do what he wants, go where he wants. It makes you wonder 'dang, how does this happen?' But, I stopped worrying about that a while ago and whatever happens, happens for me now."
While Penn has moved to K-1, Japan's most-successful fighting brand, Pulver signed a four-fight deal with SHOOTO, which has promoted many of the world's best fighters under 170 pounds.
"SHOOTO's treated me extremely well," he said. "I love fighting in their organization. I like fighting in Japan. I used to have a hard time at the idea of fighting there, but now I really enjoy it, especially after that last SHOOTO show. I think the world of fighting over there. I love the way they treat me.
"It's been really hard not fighting in front of my fans and stuff and I can't believe how many people paid attention to my ESPN 2 boxing debut. It just let me know that people are really interested in what I'm doing. So I'm just going to Japan to represent and I'm having a good time doing it."
A Title Shot Against Pequeno
If he beats Palling, a return later this year to Japan could net him a contest versus "Pequeno," or a showdown in PRIDE: Bushido versus Takanori Gomi. "Pequeno" is the fight that seems more realistic, and Pulver understands the historical significance -- should he win.
"No one's ever had the biggest world title in Japan and the biggest on in the United States," Pulver said. "That's what I'm going to do. Everybody is trying to set up UFC champs versus Vanderlei or Fedor. They all want the titles. Well, at 143 and 155 it's SHOOTO. There is no PRIDE, and that's where everyone's at. I want the two biggest titles.
"I'll fight Nogueira the way I fight everybody else. He's going to go after his guillotine and I'm going to go after him with my punches. And if he can get the guillotine before I can hurt him well then I'll work on getting out of it. But that's the game. That's the goal. That's what I'm after, that belt.
"He's going to lose his belt. I'm coming after it and I'm taking it."
To do that, things need to fall into place for Pulver. In the past, they haven't necessarily done that. So he's tempered expectations, instead concentrating on living the best he knows how.
"That's good enough for me," he said. "I'm living and that's all you can hope for. I'm having a good time just trying to be a fighter."
Sore joints and all.
In other words, Pulver -- the only 155-pound champion in UFC history whose troubled past has haunted him in and out of the ring -- feels great.
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Friday night in Hawaii, Pulver faces Stephen Palling (Photo Gallery) in a SHOOTO 143-pound clash, which, should he win, could lead to a title fight versus Brazilian juggernaut "Pequeno" Nogueira. "I'm not really too worried about winning or losing anymore," said Pulver from his Waikiki hotel room. "I'm just out there to fight, do my fight, and be pleased at what I do at the end of the day, whether I win or lose."
Second Fight at 143
This marks his second contest at the 143-pound limit, and, said Pulver, it's where he belongs. "I'm still strong. It's starting to get easier to make. It's still hard, but it's definitely my weight class and I feel the strength difference. And the biggest thing is I'm not being overpowered or outsized really by anybody."
The experiment at a lighter weight began last year when Pulver overmatched lesser opponents. His first test came this March in Tokyo, when "Little Evil," fighting in his first SHOOTO-sanctioned bout, faced Naoya Uematsu (Photo Gallery).
Over 129 seconds of action, Pulver boxed his way through Uematsu, landing vicious body shots behind an amazing 35 jabs. The hard punching American, despite the fact that his detractors loved to bring up his methodical style, particularly during his days as UFC champ, had always shown an ability to land the fight-ending shot. There was little to complain about after his demolition of Uematsu.
"I've been working, working, working on going to the body, and I just knew I was going to," Pulver said. "I started throwing a lot more combinations and when I finally got the knockout it was because he was so tired of getting blasted that he just started flinching at everything I threw, and it allowed me to set him up."
Having felt several power punches to his midsection, Uematsu reacted to a Pulver feint and was left open upstairs. Pulver blasted him to the head, ricocheting Uematsu off the ropes towards a mean uppercut. Then Pulver launched a missile of a left hand that put the dazed Uematsu to the canvas.
"After the (Duane) Ludwig (Photo Gallery) fight I really started working on people counter-punching me, on my striking, but more than that I've developed a lot stronger mental game," he said.
Pulver on Boxing
His boxing education was tested last month when Pulver squared off against a 3-0 opponent on ESPN 2's Tuesday Night Fights. Winning, which he did with a split decision, wasn't nearly as important as staying active and improving. The move to boxing is not a second career, he said.
"In boxing you're changing levels and slipping punches, and then to be able to come back and fire punches after you make 'em miss," he said. "I used to be so happy that I could slip a punch that I'd never fire afterwards."
You can bet that Naoya Uematsu wishes Pulver never would've picked up the Sweet Science.
There are nuances, however, that don't necessarily allow for a successful adaptation of traditional boxing into mixed martial arts. The stance is different. The ability to bob and weave your way out of flurries can be hazardous. Turning over your punches and extending for full power can leave one open to get taken down.
But Pulver is no rookie, and he's taken those things into account.
"The cool thing about it is I'm going to change my angles and I'm going to get into more of a boxing stance because when they do shoot into me I'm going to start wrestling from there," Pulver said. "It's helped me develop the idea that I'm not going to worry about the takedown until they shoot in on me. Until that, I'm going to keep standing up and move the way I want to move boxing-wise and I'll defend. I mean, if it starts getting too much I'll switch back. But overall, if they want to take me to the ground they got to get me to the ground and then they have to do something when they get on the ground. So I'll just switch it up once they get in on me, then I'll change up my stance."
MMA vs Boxing
So, Jens, which sport is tougher -- MMA or boxing?
"MMA," he answered emphatically, "there's so much more to worry about. So many more weapons are being thrown at you that it's without a doubt the tougher sport as far as the elements that can end a fight. Whereas boxing it's just hands. If somebody's got better hands maybe they can get them through and knock you out. But in MMA, man, I can knock you out with my knees; I can knock you out with my kicks, my elbows. I can plum you up. You can't just get away with just punching. I can take you down, submit you. I can choke you. There's just too many more factors that can end a fight in MMA. It's like playing chess with a regular person then playing chess against a pro. That's what MMA is. There are so many more elements, you know. You have to train for everything and that's what makes it harder.
"Little Evil" gets a favorable match-up tonight versus Palling, a hard-punching Hawaiian who's enjoyed success against some of SHOOTO's best at 143. "I'm going to stand-up," he promised. "I've been knocked out before. Like I've said, I've got nothing to lose. The only thing I can lose is if I don't excite the fans, and that's what my goal is. ... If he just so happens to land the hard shots and the more powerful shots then it might be his day."
Taking on Hawaiian Fighters
Pulver's no stranger to heavy-fisted Hawaiians. In his final UFC title defense January 2002, Pulver won a hard-fought decision over BJ Penn (Photo Gallery), who two years later would defeat Pulver's teammate, Matt Hughes, to earn the UFC welterweight title.
Penn was the fighter Pulver pointed to when he sat down at the negotiating table with UFC president Dana White. The Hawaiian, despite never having been champion, was fighting under a lucrative contract that paid him more than Pulver. A new deal never materialized, so "Little Evil" left in hopes of finding financial windfall.
He's done all right for himself, yet for some reason "Little Evil" has failed to earn the level of money that's been offered to Penn, who recently left the UFC for a hefty multiple-fight deal with K-1.
"It used to bother me," Pulver said, "even when I was at 155, you know. It's just the vendettas of some people and their ability to hold grudges or whatever they want to do, and that's what they wanted to do: keep me out of the big show. That's fine. You sit there and watch people make big money in this game that you don't really think should be making the big money."
"I stopped questioning myself," he continued. "I used to question my work as far as a fighter when it first started happening. It led down to my downfall as far as fighting Ludwig and (Jason) Maxwell and getting beat. I just basically was pouting, more or less, wondering why I wasn't worth the money. So, again, now I'm doing it because that's who I am, a fighter. That's what I love doing is fighting. I have so much fun being around the fans and stuff that the money -- I've pretty much bit the bullet that I'm never going to get it. I'm never going to have the six-figure fights. I'm never going to be a Tito or Chuck or even Matt Hughes, making that type of money. Or the heavyweights. And so be it. That's how it is. But I can still go out there and be known as one of the best fighters period, whether or not they want to pay me.
"I've pretty much given up on the idea of ever being in the UFC, and so that's helped me find myself and it helped me realize why I'm out here fighting and what I love doing. It's made my fighting a lot better."
Rematch with BJ Penn
There's a good chance that Penn will be in the arena tonight, watching the only man to have defeated him, but Pulver holds no grudges against his toughest rival.
"BJ's done a great job," Pulver said. "He beat the right people. He's an explosive fighter, an exciting fighter. It bothered me in the beginning that the UFC would even try and put a worth on me and pay other fighters more money and things of that nature. You know, basically I was their little white workhorse -- that's all I was. It sucked to see BJ was in there in the K-1 and he can pretty much do what he wants, go where he wants. It makes you wonder 'dang, how does this happen?' But, I stopped worrying about that a while ago and whatever happens, happens for me now."
While Penn has moved to K-1, Japan's most-successful fighting brand, Pulver signed a four-fight deal with SHOOTO, which has promoted many of the world's best fighters under 170 pounds.
"SHOOTO's treated me extremely well," he said. "I love fighting in their organization. I like fighting in Japan. I used to have a hard time at the idea of fighting there, but now I really enjoy it, especially after that last SHOOTO show. I think the world of fighting over there. I love the way they treat me.
"It's been really hard not fighting in front of my fans and stuff and I can't believe how many people paid attention to my ESPN 2 boxing debut. It just let me know that people are really interested in what I'm doing. So I'm just going to Japan to represent and I'm having a good time doing it."
A Title Shot Against Pequeno
If he beats Palling, a return later this year to Japan could net him a contest versus "Pequeno," or a showdown in PRIDE: Bushido versus Takanori Gomi. "Pequeno" is the fight that seems more realistic, and Pulver understands the historical significance -- should he win.
"No one's ever had the biggest world title in Japan and the biggest on in the United States," Pulver said. "That's what I'm going to do. Everybody is trying to set up UFC champs versus Vanderlei or Fedor. They all want the titles. Well, at 143 and 155 it's SHOOTO. There is no PRIDE, and that's where everyone's at. I want the two biggest titles.
"I'll fight Nogueira the way I fight everybody else. He's going to go after his guillotine and I'm going to go after him with my punches. And if he can get the guillotine before I can hurt him well then I'll work on getting out of it. But that's the game. That's the goal. That's what I'm after, that belt.
"He's going to lose his belt. I'm coming after it and I'm taking it."
To do that, things need to fall into place for Pulver. In the past, they haven't necessarily done that. So he's tempered expectations, instead concentrating on living the best he knows how.
"That's good enough for me," he said. "I'm living and that's all you can hope for. I'm having a good time just trying to be a fighter."
Sore joints and all.
