Issue 051
June 2009
Jens Pulver’s fighting spirit was forged in the bitter crucible of unrelenting domestic violence. Rather than crumble, ‘Lil Evil’ focused his mind and became one of the most famous competitors in the history of MMA.
He was the first UFC 155lb champion and battered some of Japan’s best fighters on their own turf but his rollercoaster career has also seen its share of disappointment of late. Undeterred, the energetic 33-year-old is back in training and looking forward to getting back into the mix.
Where are you?
I’m in Iowa, I’m at home hanging with my wife-to-be and my son Carson.
What have you been doing so far today?
I am one forgetful individual… I lifted weights earlier, getting my muscles, and then somewhere along the way I lost my phone. If you give me five minutes I’ll lose something, so it was my phone this time. I just went to pick it up, so I’ve got my phone back to lose again some other day.
What’s the hardest you have ever hit someone?
Hands down, it’s John Lewis. That was without a doubt the hardest that I ever threw a punch, ever! I just knew he was going to flick that jab, I knew that I was going to eat that jab dead on the chin and just uncork a left. The first one I missed, so the second one, I throw it as hard as I possibly could. It was right on the money!
Have you ever damaged your hands fighting in MMA?
I have wrecked my hand, 14 times I’ve broke it. I was lucky, when I fought Joe Stevenson, my pointer finger pushed down onto the wrist bone, broke the wrist. After paying to fix my hand, I was actually $300 in the hole. We didn’t fight for money back then, believe that!
What’s the toughest fight you’ve ever been in?
The second fight with BJ was the toughest thing I had been in because I have never felt so hopeless in a fight, there was nothing I could do. It was just ridiculous how easily he was able to run all over the top of me. He just owned me, I was helpless and that’s a horrible feeling.
Did you genuinely hate BJ going into that fight?
Oh, absolutely, absolutely. That wasn’t made up for no TV show. I legitimately had every intention to go out there and beat him up. I’m not going to have somebody sit there and bully me around and say I’m no good!
What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
[my wrestling coach] Russ Hayden was around me at the time when I needed somebody the most, when my dad was really beating us up, and I was at that age when it was affecting everything. He started teaching me about work. ‘Hard work in this room can’t be touched.’ I don’t think my coach could have ever said anything truer in his life. It boils down to hard work.
What would you like to have written on your gravestone?
‘Wore his emotions on his sleeve.’ I think that’s it. I’m the invisible man; I’ve worn my emotions on my sleeve in everything I’ve done. I didn’t fight because it looked like an exciting thing to do, I did it because this is all I’ve known and this is the only positive way to take all of those things that I’ve known and spin it. I don’t want to be known as the best, but as the purest and the truest. Fire that on there!
Jens Pulver spoke with Jim Page
