Jens Johnnie "Lil Evil" Pulver (born December 6, 1974 in Sunnyside, Washington) is an American mixed martial artist (MMA). He was the first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion, and was a coach on the The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality show, which aired on Spike TV. He is currently signed as a featherweight with World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), which is owned by Zuffa (the parent company of the UFC). He holds wins over numerous fighters including BJ Penn, Cole Escovedo, Cub Swanson, Caol Uno, Rob Emerson, Dennis Hallman, and Joe Stevenson. is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Sunnyside is a city located in Yakima County, Washington. ... Ancient Greek wrestlers (Pankratiasts) Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two unarmed persons, in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over or control of their opponent. ... For other meanings of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer. ... is the 340th day of the year (341st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Sunnyside is a city located in Yakima County, Washington. ... For the fighting styles that combine different arts, see hybrid martial arts. ... This article covers the organization itself. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with lightweight. ... The Ultimate Fighter 5 was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter. ... Reality television is a genre of television programming in which the fortunes of real life people (as opposed to fictional characters played by actors) are followed. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The featherweight division in mixed martial arts generally groups competitors within 135 to 145 lbs (61 to 66 kg). ... World Extreme Cagefighting is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... B.J. The Prodigy Penn (born December 12, 1978 in Hilo, Hawaii) is a professional mixed martial arts fighter. ... Cole Escovedo (born August 30, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist (MMA) from Fresno, California. ... Caol Uno Shoten Uno (born May 8, 1975 in Kanagawa, Japan, Japanese: Uno Kaoru, sometimes (and phonetically speaking, more correctly) transliterated as Uno Kaoru ) is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. ... Robert Emerson is an American professional mixed martial artist (MMA) fighter. ... Dennis Lloyd Hallman (born December 2, 1975 in Yelm, Washington) is a professional mixed martial arts fighter from the U.S. state of Washington. ... Joseph Christopher Daddy Stevenson (born June 15, 1982 in Torrance, California) is a mixed martial artist fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada. ...

Biography

The son of a licensed horse jockey, Pulver grew up in a five-bedroom, two-story rambler in Maple Valley, Washington (approximately one half hour drive from Seattle). He was the oldest of four children (two brothers, Dustin and Abel, and one sister, Jamaica). Pulver has heterochromia, a harmless medical condition that gives eyes different colors; in Pulver's case his right eye is blue, while his left eye is brown. In sports, a jockey is one who rides horses in thoroughbred horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. ... Maple Valley is a city in King County, Washington, United States. ... Seattle redirects here. ... For the tightly packed form of DNA, see Heterochromatin. ...

Pulver was raised in what he referred to as a "daily hell." His childhood house was one of violence, 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 gun in Pulver’s mouth, then removing it stating, “you aren’t worth the bullets.”

Pulver is the subject of the book, entitled NEVER, which discusses his life long struggle with depression, family, and religion; all of which are entangled with his career as a professional MMA fighter.

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 program. He went on to wrestle at Tahoma High School [1] in Maple Valley, earning two state championships. Pulver wrestled for Highline Community College where he became an "All American" by placing at the NCAA National Tournament. He then wrestled for Boise State University, before an injury (bilateral fracture of the wrists) eventually ended his amateur wrestling career. Pulver eventually graduated from BSU with a degree in criminal justice. Ancient Greek wrestlers (Pankratiasts) Wrestling is the act of physical engagement between two unarmed persons, in which each wrestler strives to get an advantage over or control of their opponent. ... Boise State University is a state university located near downtown Boise, the capital city of the U.S. state of Idaho. ... United States criminal justice system flowchart. ...

While in college, Pulver's interests shifted from wrestling to mixed martial arts. He found early success fighting in unsanctioned “underground” events, before befriending Lowell Anderson, the owner of a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) academy ninety miles north of Boise, Idaho. Lowell got Pulver involved in sanctioned MMA events, namely the Bas Rutten Invitational in April of 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. For the fighting styles that combine different arts, see hybrid martial arts. ... Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a martial art and combat sport that focuses on grappling and especially ground fighting with the goal of gaining a dominant position and using joint-locks and chokeholds to force an opponent to submit. ... Boise redirects here. ... Sebastiaan Bas Rutten (born February 24, 1965) is a Dutch mixed martial arts fighter and color commentator. ...

During his early MMA career, Pulver trained with the Shamrock 2000 team, but eventually found his home with the Miletich Fighting Systems, a prolific group that then included former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes and former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia. Miletich Fighting Systems (MFS) is a mixed martial arts training organization headed by former UFC Lightweight/Welterweight Champion Pat Miletich. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with welterweight. ... Matthew Allen Hughes (born October 13, 1973 in Hillsboro, Illinois) is a professional mixed martial arts fighter and a former 2-time UFC World Welterweight Champion. ... The heavyweight division in mixed martial arts generally groups fighters between minimum of 206 and maximum 265 lb (93 and 120 kg). ... Timothy Deane Sylvia (born March 5, 1976) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. ...

Professional career

Pulver began competing in the UFC in September 1999. He fought four times in the UFC before gaining a title shot against top ranked Japanese Fighter Caol Uno in February 2001. Pulver won the title, by unanimous decision, becoming the very first UFC World Lightweight Champion. He defended his title twice (against Dennis Hallman and B.J. Penn) before leaving the organization due to contractual problems. Pulver became famous for his combination of defensive wrestling and boxing strategy colloquially called “sprawl and brawl” in MMA circles. Caol Uno Shoten Uno (born May 8, 1975 in Kanagawa, Japan, Japanese: Uno Kaoru, sometimes (and phonetically speaking, more correctly) transliterated as Uno Kaoru ) is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. ... Dennis Lloyd Hallman (born December 2, 1975 in Yelm, Washington) is a professional mixed martial arts fighter from the U.S. state of Washington. ... Jay Dee B.J. Penn (born December 12, 1978 in Hilo, Hawaii) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. ... For other meanings of these words, see boxing (disambiguation) or boxer. ...

Pulver vs. Hallman

Pulver’s first title defense came against Dennis Hallman (known best for his two wins against former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Hughes). Dennis Lloyd Hallman (born December 2, 1975 in Yelm, Washington) is a professional mixed martial arts fighter from the U.S. state of Washington. ...

Following his 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) in High School. In pre-fight interviews, Hallman claimed to know, and dislike, Pulver since High School; Pulver denied knowing Hallman personally, but knew of him as they were both state champions.

During the fight Hallman secured an armbar on Pulver, but Pulver countered the technique and then landed a left hook flush on Hallman's chin. Hallman found himself unable to recover completely from the blow, and fought passively for the remainder of the fight, eventually losing a unanimous decision. The armbar is a joint lock technique in martial arts which attacks the opponents arm. ...

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 Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championship (Mundials).

Upon his impressive debut against wrestler Joey Gilbert (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, then knocking out Caol Uno 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 journalist saying he was unbeatable. Din DinYero Thomas (born September 28, 1976) is an American mixed martial arts fighter who was featured on The Ultimate Fighter 4. ... Caol Uno Shoten Uno (born May 8, 1975 in Kanagawa, Japan, Japanese: Uno Kaoru, sometimes (and phonetically speaking, more correctly) transliterated as Uno Kaoru ) is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. ...

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 armbar, 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

After leaving the UFC 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. [2] During this time Pulver fought in various other MMA promotions, including Shooto, PRIDE, and the IFL, as well as one match in the Shootboxing kickboxing 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 the PRIDE Fighting Championships. USA Network is a popular American cable television network with about 89 million household subscribers as of 2005. ... Shooto logo ISC logo This article deals with the martial arts organization, for the baseball pitch, see gyroball. ... This article is about the emotion. ... IFL can mean: Imperial Fascist League Israeli Football League - American football league in Israel Indoor Football League Intense Football League Integrated Facility for Linux - an IBM mainframe processor for the Linux operating system Baylor Institute for Faith and Learning Irish Football League Inter-Facility Link - The cabling connecting a satelllite... Kicking to left side Kickboxing refers to sport-fighting using kicks and punches and sometimes throws and bows representing a certain martial art or can be practiced for general fitness, or as a full-contact sport. ... Sanda Sanda - Eurovision Song Contest 2004 Sanda LadoÅŸi Sanda LadoÅŸi (born 2nd January 1970) whose stage name is Sanda, is a famous Romanian singer. ...

PRIDE

His first match in PRIDE was against current-PRIDE lightweight (160 lb) champion Takanori Gomi. Though he would lose this fight, his toughness and striking ability were immediately apparent to both the fans and the promoters. This led to a match against Tomomi Iwama, which he dominated by knocking out his opponent one minute into the fight with a single left hook. Takanori Gomi , born September 22, 1978), The Fireball Kid, is a Japanese mixed martial artist. ...

He then faced Japanese star Hayato Sakurai, who would go on to win 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. During the fight Pulver can be seen repeatedly rubbing his eye and wincing in pain. Despite being temporarily blinded in one eye, Pulver nearly knocked out Sakurai with a left hook in the latter part of the first round. Sakurai eventually won by TKO 8:56 into the fight. Hayato Mach Sakurai (Japanese: 桜井“マッハ”速人) (August 24, 1975-) is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter. ...

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 to the head, earning the TKO. A soccer kick. ...

Return to the UFC

At UFC 63 Pulver returned to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the newly reinstated lightweight division. He was matched up against UFC-newcomer Joe Lauzon. Pulver was a 7:1 favorite to win the match, but Lauzon quickly defeated the former Lightweight Champion by 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 make his UFC comeback. UFC 63: Hughes vs. ... Joseph E. Joe Lauzon Jr. ...

Pulver was a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality television show, which hosted sixteen lightweight fighters, including Joe Lauzon. His counterpart on the show, and rival coach, was B.J. Penn. The two coaches were scheduled to fight in the season finale, in which Pulver was defeated by a rear naked choke in the second round. After the fight, Pulver announced his intentions to drop down to featherweight and fight in the WEC. The rear naked choke (often abbreviated RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponents back. ...

WEC

On July 17, 2007, it was announced Pulver would be making his World Extreme Cagefighting debut against Cub Swanson at WEC 30 on September 5, 2007. ^[1] Pulver had to pull out of the match with Cub Swanson due to a knee injury.^[2] The fight was subsequently rescheduled for the December 12th World Extreme Cagefighting card. Pulver won the rescheduled match by anaconda choke at 35 seconds of the first round and announced his intentions to make a run for the 145 lb title which Urijah Faber currently holds and defended successfully against Jeff Curran on the same card.[3]
is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... WEC 30 is an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by World Extreme Cagefighting. ... is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... World Extreme Cagefighting is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. ... Urijah Christopher Faber (born May 14, 1979 in Isla Vista, California) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a featherweight for World Extreme Cagefighting, wherein he is the world featherweight champion. ...

Pulver vs. Faber

It has been officially announced for WEC 34 on 1 June 2008, as the WEC 34's main event for the WEC Featherweight Championship. WEC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to: World Economic Consortium, the fictional, autocratic world government that is the antagonist of the Crusader series of games. ...

Personal life

Jens has a four year old daughter named Madeline.^[3] Jens also has a fiancée named Kannika.^[4]

Jens is an avid PC gamer, who has played World of Warcraft and Call of Duty 4. He recently appeared on the December 7th episode of the PC Gamer Podcast. PC Gamer is a magazine founded in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. ... A podcast is a series of digital-media files which are distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and computers. ...

Championships

• First UFC Lightweight Champion

UFC is a TLA that can stand for Ultimate Fighting Championship Umeå FC This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

MMA record

The guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent. ... WEC 31 is an upcoming mixed martial arts (MMA) event held by World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC). ... Jay Dee B.J. Penn (born December 12, 1978 in Hilo, Hawaii) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. ... The rear naked choke (often abbreviated RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponents back. ... The Ultimate Fighter 5 was the fifth season of the Ultimate Fighting Championship produced reality television series The Ultimate Fighter. ... Joseph E. Joe Lauzon Jr. ... UFC 63: Hughes vs. ... Cole Escovedo (born August 30, 1981) is an American professional mixed martial artist (MMA) from Fresno, California. ... The International Fight League is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion billed as the worlds first MMA league. ... PRIDE Bushido 10 was a mixed martial arts event held by PRIDE Fighting Championships. ... Hayato Mach Sakurai (Japanese: 桜井“マッハ”速人) (August 24, 1975-) is a Japanese mixed martial arts fighter. ... PRIDE Bushido 9 was a mixed martial arts event held by PRIDE Fighting Championships. ... PRIDE Bushido 7 was a mixed martial arts event held by PRIDE Fighting Championships. ... Takanori Gomi , born September 22, 1978), The Fireball Kid, is a Japanese mixed martial artist. ... PRIDE Shockwave 2004 was a mixed martial arts event held by PRIDE Fighting Championships. ... Shooto logo ISC logo This article deals with the martial arts organization, for the baseball pitch, see gyroball. ... Shooto logo ISC logo This article deals with the martial arts organization, for the baseball pitch, see gyroball. ... Kōrakuen Hall (後楽園ホール), famous arena in Tokyo, Japan, which has featured many boxing, professional wrestling and mixed martial arts matches. ... International Fighting Championships is an American mixed martial arts organization, based in Tuolumne City, California. ... Duane BANG Ludwig (August 4, 1978-) is an American kickboxer and MMA fighter. ... Robert Emerson is an American professional mixed martial artist (MMA) fighter. ... Jay Dee B.J. Penn (born December 12, 1978 in Hilo, Hawaii) is an American professional mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner. ... 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 UFC heavyweight championship belt. ... Dennis Lloyd Hallman (born December 2, 1975 in Yelm, Washington) is a professional mixed martial arts fighter from the U.S. state of Washington. ... UFC 33: Victory in Vegas was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 28, 2001. ... The UFC heavyweight championship belt. ... Caol Uno Shoten Uno (born May 8, 1975 in Kanagawa, Japan, Japanese: Uno Kaoru, sometimes (and phonetically speaking, more correctly) transliterated as Uno Kaoru ) is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter. ... UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey on February 23, 2001. ... The UFC heavyweight championship belt. ... John Lewis can refer to the following people: John L. Lewis (mayor of New Orleans) (1800–1886), mayor of New Orleans 1854–1856 John F. Lewis (1818–1895), United States Senator from Virginia John Lewis (1848–1972), English football player, administrator and referee John Lewis (department store founder) (died 1928... 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. ... Din DinYero Thomas (born September 28, 1976) is an American mixed martial arts fighter who was featured on The Ultimate Fighter 4. ... Heel hook may refer to: A heel hook in grappling. ... 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. ... UFC 24: First Defense was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 10, 2000 at the Lake Charles Civic Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana. ... 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 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. ... Joseph Christopher Daddy Stevenson (born June 15, 1982 in Torrance, California) is a mixed martial artist fighting out of Las Vegas, Nevada. ... The guillotine choke is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent. ... Straight ankle lock A leglock is a joint lock that is directed at joints of the leg such as the ankle, knee or hip joint. ...

Amateur MMA record

Statistics taken from http://fcfighter.brinkster.net

3 wins, 1 losses

Books

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

References

is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Jens Pulver official website
• Professional MMA record for Jens Pulver from Sherdog
• Video Interview about The Ultimate Fighter 5
• May 2007 interview

Sherdog is the largest American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts. ...