Jens Johnnie Pulver (born December 6, 1974) is an American retired professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

and undefeated

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: * Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing *Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

and

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

. Pulver was the inaugural

UFC Lightweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

in addition to serving as the head coach on ''

The Ultimate Fighter 5 ''The Ultimate Fighter 5'' was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. As with the show's usual format, sixteen prospective mixed martial arts fighters were secluded in a ...

reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

against long-time rival B.J. Penn. In mixed martial arts, Pulver competed at the

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

Bantamweight Bantamweight is a weight class in combat sports. For boxing, the range is above and up to . In kickboxing, a bantamweight fighter generally weighs between . In mixed martial arts, MMA, bantamweight is . The name for the class is derived from Ba ...

and

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

divisions in addition to competing at the

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

Light Middleweight Light middleweight, also known as junior middleweight or super welterweight,PeBoxRec/ref> is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing The light middleweight division (also known as junior middleweight in the IBF or super welterweight in the WBA an ...

, and

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

divisions as a professional boxer. While perhaps best known for competing in the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, Pulver has also competed in

Pride Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

, for the PRIDE 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix. He is to-date the youngest

in the UFC history, eventually relinquishing his title, after two defenses, due to a contract dispute. Pulver officially retired from combat sports in 2014. Nicknamed Lil' Evil, Pulver won the first

UFC Lightweight Championship Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

following his victory over

Caol Uno (born May 8, 1975) is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler. He is the Co-Champion of the UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament and a former Shooto Lightweight Champion. As one of the early Ultimate Fighting Championship's ...

at '' UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk''. Pulver also held the UFC's all-time lightweight title defenses record for nearly a decade after his successful defenses against

Dennis Hallman Dennis Lloyd Hallman (born December 2, 1975) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed from 1996 to 2015. A veteran of 75 fights, he competed in various promotions including the UFC, Strikeforce, IFL, the World Series o ...

at '' UFC 33: Victory in Vegas'' and B.J. Penn at '' UFC 35: Throwdown''. He remains as one of the most influential figures in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, due to his domination and undefeated reign as

in the early Zuffa era.

Background

The son of a licensed

horse jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual w ...

, Jens Pulver was born in

Sunnyside, Washington Sunnyside is a city in Yakima County, Washington, United States. The population was 16,375 at the 2020 census. History Up through the early portion of the 19th century, the portion of the Yakima Valley where Sunnyside is now located was inhabit ...

and grew up in

Maple Valley, Washington Maple Valley is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 28,013 at the 2020 census. The city functions as a commuter town for residents, though there is an increasing amount of commercial activity in the area. Hist ...

(approximately an hour's drive from

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

). He was the oldest of four children, two brothers, Dustin and Abel, and one sister, Jamaica. Pulver has

heterochromia Heterochromia is a variation in coloration. The term is most often used to describe color differences of the iris, but can also be applied to color variation of hair or skin. Heterochromia is determined by the production, delivery, and concentra ...

, a harmless medical condition that gives eyes different colors; in Pulver's case his right eye is blue, while his left eye is brown. Pulver was raised in what he referred to as a "daily hell." His childhood house was one of continual violence and abuse, stemming mostly from his alcoholic father. Many examples of the abuse Pulver faced as a youth are depicted in his autobiography, ''Little Evil, One Ultimate Fighter's Rise to the Top'', the most extreme of which include an incident where his father threatened the then-seven-year-old Jens by placing a shotgun in Jens' mouth and then removing it, stating, "Shit, ain't worth a bullet."

Martial arts background

The summer before he entered sixth grade, Pulver was introduced to a friend of the family, Jack Vantress. Vantress encouraged Pulver to join a youth

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

program. He went on to wrestle at

Tahoma Senior High School Tahoma High School (THS) is a public high school serving grades nine through twelve, and is the only high school in the Tahoma School District. The school provides for citizens in southeast King County, and has been housed in multiple buildings ...

in Maple Valley, earning two state championships. He also began

Boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

when he was a junior. Pulver wrestled for

Highline Community College Highline College is a public community college in Des Moines, Washington. Highline was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County, Washington. The main campus covers . , there were approximately 17,000 students and 350,000 alu ...

where he became an

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

All-American by placing in the top eight at the NJCAA National Championships. He then wrestled for

Boise State University Boise State University (BSU) is a Public university, public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding ...

(BSU), before he suffered a bilateral fracture of the wrists that eventually ended his amateur wrestling career. Pulver eventually graduated from BSU with a degree in criminal justice. While in college, Pulver's interests shifted from wrestling to

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

. He found early success fighting in unsanctioned "underground" events, before befriending Lowell Anderson, the owner of a

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting (ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

(BJJ) academy ninety miles north of

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown are ...

. Lowell got Pulver involved in sanctioned MMA events, namely the

Bas Rutten Sebastiaan "Bas" Rutten (; born 24 February 1965) is a Dutch-American actor, former mixed martial artist, kickboxer and professional wrestler. He was a UFC Heavyweight Champion, a three-time King of Pancrase world champion, and finished his car ...

Invitational in April 1999. Pulver won one match, then lost the second due to his lack of martial arts training. He fought again in the third incarnation of the Bas Rutten Invitational, winning both his fights and impressing then-UFC matchmaker, John Perretti. Pulver moved to

Lockeford, California Lockeford is an unincorporated community in San Joaquin County, California, United States. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined Lockeford as a census-designated place (CDP). The census definition of the area may no ...

in 1999 where he briefly trained at the Lion's Den and then joined Shamrock 2000, a short lived camp formed by Bob Shamrock (the foster father of

Ken Ken or KEN may refer to: Entertainment * ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. * ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film. * ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine. * Ken Masters, a main character in ...

and

Frank Shamrock Frank Shamrock (born Frank Alisio Juarez III; December 8, 1972) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship (later renamed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship) an ...

) Kevin Woo, and Dr. Ron Emmerson. Pulver noted that there was a little kid who would show up at the gym to hit the bags in those days named

Nick Diaz Nickolas Robert Diaz (born August 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Diaz is a former Strikeforce, WEC and IFC welterweight champion ...

with his younger brother Nate, both of whom later became MMA stars. Pulver, who hated his name because it was the same as his father's, even asked Bob at one point if he could take the Shamrock name since Bob was the first real father figure he felt he ever had. Bob told him: "You go out there and make the Pulver name mean something good." Pulver would later go on to become the first 155-pound champion in UFC history. Pulver wanted to fight full-time, but they did not have the right training partners for him. Shamrock put him in contact with Monte Cox and sent him to Iowa, where

Pat Miletich Patrick Jay Miletich (; born March 9, 1966) is a retired American mixed martial artist and former sports commentator. He is known for his fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he became the first UFC Welterweight Champion and UFC ...

was starting a camp where he could train full-time.

Professional career

Pulver began competing in the

in September 1999. He fought four times in the UFC before gaining a title shot against top ranked

in February 2001. Pulver won the title by unanimous decision, becoming the first

. He defended his title twice against

and B.J. Penn) before leaving the organization due to contractual problems. Pulver became famous for his combination of defensive wrestling and

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

strategies colloquially called " sprawl and brawl" in MMA circles.

Pulver vs. Hallman

Pulver's first title defense came against

who is best known for his two wins against former

UFC Welterweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

Matt Hughes). Following a second win over Hughes, Hallman dropped down a weight class and fought Pulver for the Lightweight Championship in September 2001. Pulver and Hallman had both wrestled in the same state (

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

) in high school. In pre-fight interviews, Hallman claimed to personally know and dislike Pulver, but Pulver denied any personal relationship, instead asserting that he only knew Hallman as a fellow state high school wrestling champion. During the fight, Hallman secured an

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

on Pulver, but Pulver countered the technique and later landed a left hook flush on Hallman's chin. Hallman fought passively for the remainder of the fight, seemingly unable to recover completely from that blow, and Pulver eventually won by unanimous decision.

Pulver vs. Penn

Pulver's second title defense came against B.J. Penn. Before his transition to mixed martial arts, Penn was the most highly decorated Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner in America and the first American-born to win the

World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship The World IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship (commonly known as the Worlds or Mundials) is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament held once every year by the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation. It is widely considered to be the most important and ...

. Upon his impressive debut against wrestler Joey Gilbert, finishing him with a first-round TKO, Penn rose quickly through the rankings. Penn, already known for his grappling, quickly stunned the MMA community by showcasing incredible striking skills; quickly knocking out highly regarded

Din Thomas Din Yero Thomas (born September 28, 1976) is an American former mixed martial artist who was featured on '' The Ultimate Fighter 4: The Comeback''. In the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Thomas is a UFC 41 Lightweight Tournament Semifinalist. H ...

, then knocking out

within eleven seconds of the first round. Heading into the fight with Pulver, Penn had never fought longer than the first round. The speed in which Penn was defeating opponents had many MMA journalists suggesting he was unbeatable. Pulver's performance in the fight is considered the high point of his career. Penn pressed the action early; taking Pulver to the mat numerous times, achieving a full mount on him twice in the second round and securing a straight

, completely hyper-extending Pulver's arm as the seconds ticked off the clock ending the second round. Pulver battled back in the third round, successfully defending Penn's attempts to take him to the ground, and even scoring defensive takedowns on Penn. Pulver frustrated Penn with nothing more than sheer will power, not only winning the later rounds, but out-grappling the world-renowned Penn. In the fifth round, Penn, frustrated and down on points, chose to stand and trade with Pulver. For the entire five minutes of the fifth round the two stood toe to toe exchanging strikes. With 45 seconds left in the round, a left hand from Pulver staggered Penn, who looked in trouble. However, Penn countered with a right kick straight to the groin, resulting in a 50-second time-out. Although the time-out gave Penn time to recover, when the bout was restarted, Pulver staggered him a second time with 20 seconds remaining. However, the round drew to a conclusion and the fight went into the judges' hands. Pulver won the fight via majority decision. Breaking into tears during the post-fight interview, Pulver shouted, "On the ground again!...I've been beat on my whole life, this is nothing."

Leaving the UFC

Pulver was expected to fight at

UFC 38 ''UFC 38: Brawl at the Hall'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London, United Kingdom, on July 13, 2002. The event was seen live on pay-per-view in the United Sta ...

on July 13, 2002, but after the company declined a pay raise request and missed the prevailing contract's option exercising period, Pulver left the UFC. After leaving, Pulver's career slumped slightly with two consecutive losses. He regained his winning ways by dropping down a weight class (to 145 lb). Along the same time, Pulver also began competing as a professional boxer, winning all four of his fights in 2004, including a fight on the nationally syndicated

USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...

. During this time Pulver fought in various other MMA promotions, including

Shooto Shooto is a combat sport and mixed martial arts organization that is governed by the ''Shooto Association'' and the ''International Shooto Commission''. Shooto was originally formed in 1985, first as a particular fighting system and then in 198 ...

, and the

IFL IFL may refer to: ;American football *Intense Football League, (2004–2008) in the United States, merged into the Indoor Football League *Indoor Football League, (2008–present) in the United States *Intercontinental Football League, a European l ...

, as well as one match in the Shootboxing

kickboxing Kickboxing is a combat sports, combat sport focused on kicking and punch (strike), punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is pract ...

promotion, where he defeated 2004 Sanda champion Dai Chang Liang. After this match, Pulver moved back up to the lightweight division in December 2004 in

Pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

Pride

His first match in

was against then current and last Pride lightweight (160 lb) champion

Takanori Gomi is a Japanese professional mixed martial artist who gained international fame in Pride Fighting Championships. Later in his career, Gomi also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Gomi is the only Pride FC Lightweight Champion in th ...

. Pulver and Gomi demonstrated excellent boxing skills and were both regarded as putting on the best boxing fight in an MMA bout. This was stopped short when Gomi delivered a vicious uppercut that knocked out Pulver 6:29 into the first round. This led to a match against Tomomi Iwama, in which he defeated his opponent via knock out one minute into the fight with a left hook. He then faced Japanese star

Hayato Sakurai also known as , born August 24, 1975, is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1996, he has formerly competed for the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Shooto, Vale Tudo Japan, DEEP, and participated in the Yarennoka!, Dynamit ...

, and would go on to lose in a fast paced see-saw affair that showcased both the toughness and heart of Pulver, and the experience and technicality of Sakurai. During the fight, Pulver was accidentally thumbed in the eye by Sakurai which left a corneal abrasion on his eye. Despite the injury Pulver still managed to knock down Sakurai with a left hook in the latter part of the first round, though Sakurai eventually won via TKO. His final fight in Pride, against Kenji Arai, was an entertaining battle of strikers which ended when Pulver knocked Arai down with a right-left combination, and finished him with a

soccer kick A soccer kick, also known as a soccer ball kick or PK (penalty kick) in puroresu and shoot fighting, and as tiro de meta in vale tudo, is a reference to a kick that is similar to kicks used in association football. It is the colloquial term f ...

to the head, earning the TKO.

Return to the UFC

UFC 63 ''UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn 2'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 23, 2006. The event took place at the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California and was broadcast live on pay-per-view (PPV) in ...

, Pulver returned to the

in the newly reinstated lightweight division. He was matched up against UFC-newcomer

Joe Lauzon Joseph Edward Lauzon Jr. (born May 22, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist, competing in the UFC's Lightweight division. A well-rounded fighter, he has the fourth most post-fight bonus awards in UFC history, behind Donald Ce ...

. Pulver was a 7:1 favorite to win the match, but Lauzon quickly defeated the former Lightweight Champion via one punch knockout at the 48-second mark of the first round. After the fight, Pulver apologized for his performance and indicated that he still desired to keep fighting in the UFC. Pulver was a coach on

reality television show, which hosted sixteen lightweight fighters, including the man who knocked him out previously,

. His counterpart on the show and rival coach, was B.J. Penn whom Pulver defeated previously. The two coaches were scheduled to fight in the season finale, in which Pulver was defeated by a

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keiko ...

in the second round. After the fight, Pulver announced his intentions to drop down to featherweight and fight in the WEC. He also made overtures toward Penn to set aside their differences and train together but Pulver has also said that he would welcome a third fight with Penn.

World Extreme Cagefighting

On July 17, 2007, it was announced Pulver would be making his World Extreme Cagefighting debut against

Cub Swanson Kevin Luke "Cub" Swanson (born November 2, 1983) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2004, Swanson holds the most ...

WEC 30 ''WEC 30: McCullough vs. Crunkilton'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). The event took place on Wednesday, September 5, 2007 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and aired live on t ...

on September 5, 2007. Pulver had to pull out of the match with Cub Swanson due to a knee injury. The fight was subsequently rescheduled for

WEC 31 ''WEC 31: Faber vs. Curran'' was a mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). The event took place on Wednesday, December 12, 2007 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada and was aired live on the ...

. Pulver won the rescheduled match by

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...

at 35 seconds of the first round and announced his intentions to make a run for the 145 lb title which

Urijah Faber Urijah Faber (born May 14, 1979) is an American mixed martial artist and actor who is signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He competed as a bantamweight and formerly competed as a featherweight. He is also the founder of Team Alpha Male ...

currently held and had defended successfully against Pulver's teammate and longtime Jiu-Jitsu coach,

Jeff Curran Jeffrey Michael Curran (born September 2, 1977) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1998, Curran has fought at a number of different weight classes for a large number of promotions includin ...

on the same card. Pulver and Faber finally met at

WEC 34 ''WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on June 1, 2008, at the ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California. The main event, announced on WEC 33, was a bout between Jens Pulver and ...

on June 1, 2008. Neither man was able to finish the other and the fight went the full five rounds. The judges scored the bout a unanimous decision for Faber, 50–45, 50–44 and 50–44. This fight marked the first time that one of Pulver's fights at featherweight had gone to decision, the first time Pulver had been defeated at that weight class and also the first time one of Faber's fights in the WEC had gone the distance. Pulver stated after the fight that he wanted another shot at the title, but wanted "to earn it". Pulver next fought infamous brawler

Leonard Garcia Leonard Garcia (born July 14, 1979, in Plainview, Texas) is an American former mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Featherweight division of the Legacy Fighting Championship, and is the former Legacy FC Featherweight Champion. ...

WEC 36 ''WEC 36: Faber vs. Brown'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on November 5, 2008 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. The event aired live on the Versus Network. Bac ...

on November 5, after the original date of September 10 was postponed due to the threat of

Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike () was a powerful tropical cyclone that swept through portions of the Greater Antilles and Northern America in September 2008, wreaking havoc on infrastructure and agriculture, particularly in Cuba and Texas. Ike took a sim ...

. In a surprising turn of events, Pulver suffered a TKO loss in the first round as the Greg Jackson-trained Leonard Garcia stunned Pulver with a left-right combination, then swarmed Pulver with more punches against the cage fence. At

WEC 38 ''WEC 38: Varner vs. Cerrone'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on January 25, 2009. It aired live on the Versus Network. In the main event, WEC Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner defended his title against undef ...

, Pulver once again lost to Faber in a rematch of their WEC 34 encounter when Pulver succumbed to a guillotine choke early in the first round. After his second loss to Faber, Pulver temporarily replaced

Frank Mir Francisco Santos Mir III (; born May 24, 1979), is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed for Bellator MMA in the Heavyweight division. He formerly competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for sixteen years. A f ...

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and t ...

at WEC 39. At

WEC 41 ''WEC 41: Brown vs. Faber 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on June 7, 2009 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. It was the most successful show in the WEC's history. Background Featherweight champion ...

, Pulver was submitted by

Josh Grispi Josh Richard Grispi (born October 14, 1988) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2006 until 2014, he has competed for the UFC and WEC. Background Grispi, a talented hockey player, was kicked ...

via Guillotine Choke within the first minute of the match. "I think I just ended in the same place I started," Pulver said emotionally to the crowd after losing 8 of his past 12 encounters. "I’m not saying I’m done yet, but it’s been incredible." Pulver returned at

WEC 47 ''WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz'' was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on March 6, 2010. It was held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio Background The only WEC event held in Ohio, WEC 47 coincided with the Arnold S ...

to face Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Javier Vazquez on March 6, 2010. Pulver lost via submission due to an armbar at 3:41 of the first round. Pulver has lost 9 out his last 13 fights. In the aftermath of Pulver's loss at

, UFC President

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

confirmed that Pulver had been released from the WEC.

Independent Promotions

Pulver met Diego Garijo on August 14, 2010 in Irvine, California, losing the bout by submission via

in the first round. This was Pulver's sixth straight loss. Pulver was next scheduled to face Frank Johnson at CFX/Extreme Challenge 170 on December 11 at the

Target Center Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. But Pulver pulled out of the fight for unknown reasons and was replaced by Mitch Jackson. Pulver headlined XFO 38 against Mike Lindquist on January 22, 2011, where he won the fight via

submission at 0:49 in the first round. This marked Pulver's first victory in just over 3 years, snapping a 6 fight losing streak. On March 5, 2011 Pulver defeated Wade Choate by split decision despite breaking his foot in the first round of the fight. The victory marks his second consecutive win. Pulver fought fellow

World Extreme Cagefighting World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) was an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion founded in 2001. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC ...

veteran,

Coty Wheeler Coty Wheeler (October 11, 1978) is an American mixed martial artist, who is perhaps best known for his four fight stint with now-defunct promotion World Extreme Cagefighting. Wheeler currently holds a professional record of 15–5. Mixed martial ...

at MMA Fight Pit presents "Genesis" on August 13, 2011 in New Mexico. Pulver won the fight via 2nd-round TKO in a dominant performanc

Pulver fought

Tim Elliott Timothy Samuel Elliott (born December 24, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Flyweight (MMA), Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the former Titan FC Titan Fighting Champions ...

at Resurrection Fighting Alliance on December 16, 2011 and lost the fight via second-round knockout by a knee to the temple. In a post fight speech, Elliott thanked Jens for accepting the fight, and referred to him as his number one inspiration for being a mixed martial artist. On March 26, 2012, it was announced that Pulver had signed with UK promotion

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish owned mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under the Cage Warrio ...

. On April 14, 2012, Pulver defeated All Army Combatives Flyweight Champion Jesse Thorton by unanimous decision in

Fort Hood, Texas Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarter ...

ONE Fighting Championship

On August 31, 2012, Pulver moved back up to 145 lbs to face undefeated Filipino fighter Eric Kelly in his own country. Pulver hung in tough with Kelly but fell in the second round to a TKO after Kelly landed a solid body kick followed up with some punches. On October 6, 2012, Pulver returned to

ONE Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

in entering their Bantamweight Grand Prix. Jens took on Chinese prospect Zhao Ya Fei. Pulver won a technical decision after taking an illegal groin strike and the fight went to the judges score cards in the third round. Pulver faced

Masakatsu Ueda Masakatsu Ueda (born December 21, 1977) is a professional Japanese mixed martial artist who currently competes in the bantamweight division of Pancrase. Ueda was also a college level wrestler in Japan, where holds a win over fellow mixed marti ...

in the Bantamweight Grand Prix Semifinals on April 5, 2013 at ONE Fighting Championship: Kings and Champions. He lost the fight by D'Arce choke submission.

Personal life

Pulver has a daughter. He married in 2009. He and his wife have a boy who was born December 16, 2008. Pulver is featured in a documentary about his training camp, personal life and difficult childhood called "Jens Pulver: Driven." In 2014, Pulver makes a cameo on season four of '' The Vanilla Ice Project'' on

DIY Network Magnolia Network is an American basic cable network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and Chip and Joanna Gaines. It broadcasts personality-based lifestyle programs related to topics such as home construction, Home renovation, renovation, and cuisi ...

. He is a part of a

computer case A computer case, also known as a computer chassis, is the enclosure that contains most of the hardware of a personal computer. The components housed inside the case (such as the CPU, motherboard, memory, mass storage devices, power supply unit a ...

and

video gaming Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This feedback m ...

team called ''Red Harbinger'' and goes by the gamer name, "Little Evil". He and his team are called in by Rob Van Winkle (aka Vanilla Ice) to supply custom computers for a video game room Winkle designed in a mansion he renovated in

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from several nearby cities including West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach by the Intracoas ...

. In his free time, Jens livestreams on

Twitch Twitch may refer to: Biology * Muscle contraction ** Convulsion, rapid and repeated muscle contraction and relaxation ** Fasciculation, a small, local, involuntary muscle contraction ** Myoclonic twitch, a jerk usually caused by sudden muscle co ...

a
www.twitch.tv/jenspulver
and appears Thursday nights on the Scuffed Podcast with Tyler Niknam usually known by the people as Trainwrecksbr>www.twitch.tv/trainwreckstv

Championships and accomplishments

(One time; first) ***Two successful title defenses **First

to defend the title in UFC History **First Lightweight to headline a UFC Event *

PRIDE Fighting Championship PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

** PRIDE 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix Quarterfinalist **One of only two UFC Lightweight Champions to compete in

PRIDE FC PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

**Fight of the Night (One time) *

ONE Fighting Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports Promoter (entertainment), promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its eve ...

** ONE FC Bantamweight Grand Prix Semifinalist *Fight Matrix **2002 Most Noteworthy Match of Year vs. B.J. Penn on January 11, 2002

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 27–19–1 , Sami Aziz , Decision (unanimous) , Superior Challenge 9: Gothenburg , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Gothenburg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has ...

, Sweden , , - , Loss , align=center, 27–18–1 ,

, Submission (D'arce choke) , ONE FC: Kings and Champions , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:52 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 27–17–1 , Zhao Ya Fei , Technical Decision (unanimous) , ONE FC: Rise of Kings , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Singapore , , - , Loss , align=center, 26–17–1 , Eric Kelly , TKO (body kick and punches) , ONE FC: Pride of a Nation , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:46 ,

Quezon City Quezon City (, ; fil, Lungsod Quezon ), also known as the City of Quezon and Q.C. (read in Filipino as Kyusi), is the List of cities in the Philippines, most populous city in the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a populatio ...

, Philippines , , - , Win , align=center, 26–16–1 , Jesse Thorton , Decision (unanimous) , Operation: Fight Night , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , - , Loss , align=center, 25–16–1 ,

, KO (knee) , Resurrection Fight Alliance , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:12 ,

Kearney, Nebraska Kearney is the county seat of Buffalo County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 30,787 in the 2010 census. It is home to the University of Nebraska at Kearney. The westward push of the railroad as the Civil War ended gave new birt ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 25–15–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , MMA Fight Pit: Genesis , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:59 ,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 24–15–1 , Brian Davidson , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Titan Fighting Championships 18 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 24–14–1 , Wade Choate , Decision (split) , Chicago Cagefighting Championship III , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Villa Park, Illinois Villa Park is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, within the Chicago metropolitan area. The population as of the 2020 Census is 21,113. Villa Park is a western suburb of Chicago. History When Ovaltine established its facto ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–14–1 , Mike Lindquist , Submission (rear-naked choke) , XFO: 38 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:49 ,

Woodstock, Illinois Woodstock is a city in (and the county seat of) McHenry County, Illinois, McHenry County, Illinois, United States. It is located 45 miles northwest of Chicago, making it one of the city's outer-most suburbs. Per the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–14–1 , Diego Garijo , Submission (guillotine choke) , Powerhouse World Promotions: War on the Mainland , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:08 ,

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–13–1 , Javier Vazquez , Submission (armbar) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:41 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–12–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–10–1 ,

, TKO (punches) , WEC 36: Faber vs. Brown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:12 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–9–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 22–8–1 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:23 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–8–1 , B.J. Penn , Submission (rear-naked choke) ,

The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale ''The Ultimate Fighter 5'' was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series ''The Ultimate Fighter''. As with the show's usual format, sixteen prospective mixed martial arts fighters were secluded in a ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:12 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7–1 ,

, KO (punch) , UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 21–6–1 ,

Cole Escovedo Coleman Ruben Escovedo (born August 30, 1981) is an American former mixed martial artist from Fresno, California. He was the inaugural WEC Featherweight Champion. Mixed martial arts career Health issues Escovedo was forced into a well documen ...

, KO (punch) , IFL: Legends Championship 2006 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:56 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–6–1 , Kenji Arai , KO (soccer kick) , Pride - Bushido 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:59 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–6–1 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

Pride Bushido 9 The year 2005 is the 9th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2005 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 29 - Fists of Fire''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 8:56 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5–1 , Tomomi Iwama , KO (punch) , Pride Bushido 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 , Tokyo, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 18–5–1 ,

, KO (punch) ,

Pride Shockwave 2004 The year 2004 is the 8th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2004 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 27 - Inferno''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The followi ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 6:29 ,

Saitama City is the capital and the most populous city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Ōmiya, Yono and Iwatsuki. It is a city designated by government ordinance. Being in the Greater Tokyo Area and lyin ...

, Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 18–4–1 , Stephen Palling , KO (punch) , Shooto Hawaii: Soljah Fight Night , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 1:47 ,

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

, Hawaii, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–4–1 ,

Naoya Uematsu Naoya Uematsu (born September 10, 1978) is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist who competed in the bantamweight, featherweight and lightweight divisions in Cage Force, DEEP and Shooto. He is the head instructor of the NEXUSENSE gym. In addi ...

, KO (punch) , Shooto: 3/22 in Korakuen Hall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:09 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–4–1 , Richard Hess , Submission (choke) , International Fighting Championships: Battleground Boise , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–4–1 , Joe Jordan , KO (punch) , Extreme Challenge 52 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:12 , Rock Island,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–4–1 , Jason Maxwell , KO (strikes) , HOOKnSHOOT: Absolute Fighting Championships 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:54 , Ft. Lauderdale,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3–1 ,

Duane Ludwig Duane Paul Ludwig (born August 4, 1978) is an American mixed martial arts coach, retired professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist. Ludwig formerly held the unofficial fastest knockout record in the UFC after his win against Jonathan Gou ...

, KO (punch) , UCC 12: Adrenaline , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:03 ,

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2–1 , Takehiro Murahama , Decision (split) , UFO: Legend , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2–1 ,

Rob Emerson Robert Michael Emerson (born July 30, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 2002, Emerson is also a veteran of Bellator MMA, the UFC, Pancrase, and was a cast member of ''The Ultimate Fighter 5' ...

, Decision (unanimous) , UW: Ultimate Wrestling , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2–1 , B.J. Penn , Decision (majority) ,

UFC 35 ''UFC 35: Throwdown'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on January 11, 2002. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later releas ...

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the New England town, town of Montville, Connecticut, Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a Administrative divisions of Connecticut#Village, neighborhood, section of town, village in southeastern Montville, at the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

UFC 33 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–2–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

UFC 30 ''UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey on February 23, 2001. UFC 30 was the first UFC event under th ...

, , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2–1 , John Lewis , KO (punch) ,

UFC 28 ''UFC 28: High Stakes'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 17, 2000 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. History UFC 28 marked the first Ultimate Fighting Championship, UFC even ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:11 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2–1 , Dave Gries , KO (punches) , Gladiators 10 , , align=center, N/A , align=center, N/A ,

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2–1 ,

, Submission (heel hook) , WEF: New Blood Conflict , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:33 , United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1–1 ,

João Roque João Manuel Roque (born July 22, 1971) is a Portuguese-Angolan former featherweight Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) black belt World Champion and a retired mixed martial artist. He competed in the Featherweight division in MMA (Mixed Mar ...

, Decision (unanimous) ,

UFC 26 ''UFC 26: Ultimate Field of Dreams'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 9, 2000, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. History The main card featured Welterweight Champion Pat Miletich defending his title against ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 15:00 ,

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1–1 , Eric Hibler , KO (knees and punches) , WEF 9: World Class , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:54 ,

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1–1 , David Velasquez , TKO (strikes) ,

UFC 24 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:41 ,

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcasieu ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1–1 , Phil Johns , KO (punch) , WEF 8: Goin' Platinum , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:33 ,

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, United States , , - , Draw , align=center, 3–1–1 , Alfonso Alcarez , Draw ,

UFC 22 ''UFC 22: Only One Can be Champion'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 24, 1999 at the Lake Charles Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana. History The event was headlined by a Light Heavy ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 ,

Joe Stevenson Joseph Christopher Stevenson (born June 15, 1982) is a retired American mixed martial artist fighting out of Hesperia, California. Coached by (UFC Hall of Famer) Matt Hughes, Stevenson rose to prominence by becoming The Ultimate Fighter 2 Wel ...

, KO (punches) , Bas Rutten Invitational 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:38 ,

Littleton, Colorado Littleton is a home rule municipality city located in Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson counties, Colorado, United States. Littleton is the county seat of Arapahoe County and is a part of the Denver–Aurora–Lakewood, CO Metropolitan Statistica ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–1 , Ray Morales , Submission (guillotine choke) , Bas Rutten Invitational 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:51 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 1–1 , David Harris , Submission (toe hold) , Bas Rutten Invitational 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 11:57 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Curtis Hill , TKO (towel) , Bas Rutten Invitational 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 ,

, United States ,

Kickboxing record

Professional boxing record

, - , style="text-align:center;" colspan="8", 4 Wins (3 knockouts, 1 decisions), 0 Losses , - style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;" , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Res. , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Record , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Opponent , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Type , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Rd., Time , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Date , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Location , style="border-style:none none solid solid; ", Notes , - align=center , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Jeff Hinds , KO , , 3, 0:13 , October 22, 2004 , , Rosemont, Illinois, United States , , Welterweight , - align=center , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Leonard Lewis , TKO , , 1, 0:41 , August 27, 2004 , , Rosemont, Illinois, United States , , Light Middleweight , - align=center , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Steve Vincent , Split decision , , 4 , June 15, 2004 , , Elk Grove Village, Illinois, United States , , Light Middleweight , - align=center , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Matt Bauler , TKO , , 1, 0:32 , February 28, 2004 , , Marshalltown, Iowa, United States , , Middleweight , - align=center

Works

*Pulver, Jens and Krauss, Erich (2003) ''Little Evil, One Ultimate Fighter's Rise to the Top'', ECW Press

Notes

References

External links

Jens Pulver official website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pulver, Jens Living people 1974 births American male kickboxers American male mixed martial artists Welterweight boxers Welterweight kickboxers Lightweight mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing shootboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Boxers from Washington (state) Kickboxers from Washington (state) Mixed martial artists from Washington (state) People from Sunnyside, Washington Ultimate Fighting Championship champions American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male boxers American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers People from Maple Valley, Washington Twitch (service) streamers Highline College alumni

Background

Martial arts background

Professional career

Pulver vs. Hallman

Pulver vs. Penn

Leaving the UFC

Pride

Return to the UFC

World Extreme Cagefighting

Independent Promotions

ONE Fighting Championship

Personal life

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Kickboxing record

Professional boxing record

Works

Notes

See also

References

External links