Legendary. A fearsome p4p striker in his day, and maybe the most likable fan favorite in the history of the sport. Yes, more likable than Randy, Bas, Hendo, and Minowa. That farewell was as heartbreaking as it was heartfelt. Don't be too macho to admit you choked up - you're among friends here. Seeing him wince and pound the cage floor in desperate agony was devastating. What a horrible moment. ...and then, him being visibly and sincerely more upset about disappointing the crowd than nearly getting his arm snapped off...that says it all. Thank you so much, champ. For everything. Especially for now, once and for all leaving well enough alone. A win to go out on would have been nice, and that was a respectable effort, with plenty of slippery escapes before Javier caught him, but let that be it. Please.
Yeah, that was probably the most sincere and correct statement I've ever seen a guy make post fight. He said exactly what I was thinking which was "please stop doing this to me and the rest of your fans". He was a great fighter and everyone will always know that, so he has nothing left to prove. I just hope that he can start a gym somewhere and make a good living at it.
i used to play world of warcraft and Jens used to play alliance on my server (burning legion was the server) and i played horde, he was online all night i swear to god i dont know how the **** he trained. He was a night elf rogue named "lilevil" and only got "outed" as Jens Pulver after he hit Grand Marshal which is some gear and rank you get by staying in a battleground for a crazy amount of time. (my orc shaman used to own his ass but at the time rogues were tailor made for shamans) There was a "congrats lilevil" thread on the warcraft forums after he hit grand marshal and he made a couple cameo posts to say thanks and that he was quitting warcraft, this was back in 2006? maybe 07 iam not sure but at that time i dont think many people on the server ACTUALLY knew who Jens Pulver was and just thought he was some mediocre fighter and honestly i didnt really know him well since i didnt follow mma really and only boxing. well there it is, my experience of pulver and how i was a fan of pulver before i was a fan of MMA. i feel Pulver has a solidified legacy and it grows each time BJ penn dismantles someone at lightweight regardless of his most recent streak of losses. Jens "Lil Evil" Pulver
Yup Jens is the 1st man to ever beat BJ Penn and the only to do it at Lightweight that alone makes him a somebody in MMA.
Well, first he was trying to wipe his eyes clean so the camera wouldn't catch the tears as they were wrapping up the interview with Vazquez. Then when it became clear that he was caught and shown on the overhead arena monitors, he just laughed and waved to everybody. He gave a quick breakdown of the fight, gave tons of props to Vazquez's overall (particularly ground) game, admitting that he wanted to end the fight standing up by setting it up with leg kicks to land something big, and said with a sheepish grin "I myself have never been quite the 'grappler', as you all know...". Then he pointed at his custom-made Tapout shirt which has images from Mike Tyson's Punch-Out and announced that like that game of a bygone era, "the vintage...the authentic...is gone", saying that he loved his fans too much to keep putting them through this. He thanked Dana White for giving him a second (and first, and third...) chance, and said that the guy is misunderstood and he has nothing but love for him. He repeated how much he loved all the fans and how he fought for them since he never made any money in the sport, and that it was for them that he could finally swallow his pride and, although he couldn't bring himself to use the word "never again" when prompted by the interviewer, he reiterated that he loved and appreciated the fans too much to keep putting them through this - implying that this was truly his last adventure in the cage.
Have to admit that I haven't seen many of his fights, just highlight reel stuff, but loved him in TUF as a character. Really wanted him to kick Penn's ass in the season finale (wishful thinking, I know).
Jens is the man and had a great MMA career, one of the better people and fighters in MMA. I hope he can stay on and active some how beside inside the cage.
And that fight was indeed a classic!! Pulver at his best and a performance for the ages! I've always been a fan of Jens'! A class act in and out of the octagon. I wish him all the very best in his retirement!
Damn it!!! I just saw a commercial for the Sylvia vs. Buentello PPV, and Pulver is on the undercard. :twisted: He's fighting Diego "Dos Pistolas" Garijo, who is 4-1 with two knockouts and two submissions. He won what was voted "Fight of the Night" back at Bellator 10: [dm]x9k3zp[/dm]