Jens Pulver has taken his share of licks in the fight game over the last ten years, but none hit him harder than this one. Moments after his January loss to Urijah Faber in their featherweight rematch – Pulver’s third loss in a row – he was asked by interviewer Craig Hummer whether he was still relevant in the WEC at the age of 34.
Right when he asked it, I just got flattened, recalled Pulver, never one to hide his emotions. I never thought about it. I had read about being old and things like that, but really, I’m 34, how old is that? There are guys fighting in their 40’s right now. But when he said ‘relevant’, I felt like I got kicked in the stomach. Then I started thinking for a minute, ‘maybe I am done.’ I don’t know how else to put it, and I’m not trying to make matters worse, but I guess it just broke my heart.
Much of the mixed martial arts community felt the same way, vociferously defending Pulver and almost willing him to return to the WEC’s cage to set the record straight. On Sunday night at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, he gets his shot against 20 year old Josh Grispi, the same Josh Grispi who was just 10 years old when Pulver made his 1999 debut with a win and a loss in the second Bas Rutten Invitational, and who grew up watching Pulver when he was tearing through the UFC and becoming the organization’s first 155-pound champion.
Jens Pulver – Older, Wiser, and Still Relevant
Jens Pulver has taken his share of licks in the fight game over the last ten years, but none hit him harder than this one. Moments after his January loss to Urijah Faber in their featherweight rematch – Pulver’s third loss in a row – he was asked by interviewer Craig Hummer whether he was…
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