52 Facts About Jens Pulver

Jens Johnnie Pulver was born on December 6,1974 and is an American retired professional mixed martial artist and undefeated boxer and kickboxer.

In mixed martial arts, Pulver competed at the Lightweight, Featherweight, Bantamweight and Flyweight divisions in addition to competing at the Middleweight, Light Middleweight, and Welterweight divisions as a professional boxer.

Jens Pulver is to-date the youngest UFC Lightweight Champion in the UFC history, eventually relinquishing his title, after two defenses, due to a contract dispute.

Jens Pulver remains as one of the most influential figures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, due to his domination and undefeated reign as UFC Lightweight Champion in the early Zuffa era.

Son of a licensed horse jockey, Jens Pulver was born in Sunnyside, Washington and grew up in Maple Valley, Washington.

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

Jens Pulver has heterochromia, a harmless medical condition that gives eyes different colors; in Jens Pulver's case his right eye is blue, while his left eye is brown.

Summer before he entered sixth grade, Jens Pulver was introduced to a friend of the family, Jack Vantress.

Jens Pulver went on to wrestle at Tahoma Senior High School in Maple Valley, earning two state championships.

Jens Pulver wrestled for Highline Community College where he became an NJCAA All-American by placing in the top eight at the NJCAA National Championships.

Jens Pulver then wrestled for Boise State University, before an injury eventually ended his amateur wrestling career.

Jens Pulver eventually graduated from BSU with a degree in criminal justice.

Jens Pulver found early success fighting in unsanctioned "underground" events, before befriending Lowell Anderson, the owner of a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu academy ninety miles north of Boise, Idaho.

Lowell got Jens Pulver involved in sanctioned MMA events, namely the Bas Rutten Invitational in April 1999.

Jens Pulver won one match, then lost the second due to his lack of martial arts training.

Jens Pulver fought again in the third incarnation of the Bas Rutten Invitational, winning both his fights and impressing then-UFC matchmaker, John Perretti.

Jens Pulver moved to Lockeford, California in 1999 where he briefly trained at the Lion's Den and then joined Shamrock 2000, a short lived camp formed by Bob Shamrock Kevin Woo, and Dr Ron Emmerson.

Jens 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 with his younger brother Nate, both of whom later became MMA stars.

Jens 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.

Jens Pulver fought four times in the UFC before gaining a title shot against top ranked Japanese Fighter Caol Uno in February 2001.

Jens Pulver won the title by unanimous decision, becoming the first UFC Lightweight Champion.

Jens Pulver became famous for his combination of defensive wrestling and boxing strategies colloquially called "sprawl and brawl" in MMA circles.

Jens 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.

Jens Pulver was expected to fight at UFC 38 on July 13,2002, but after the company declined a pay raise request and missed the prevailing contract's option exercising period, Jens Pulver left the UFC.

Jens Pulver regained his winning ways by dropping down a weight class.

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Along the same time, Jens Pulver began competing as a professional boxer, winning all four of his fights in 2004, including a fight on the nationally syndicated USA Network.

Jens Pulver then faced Japanese star Hayato Sakurai, 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.

Jens Pulver's 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.

At UFC 63 Jens Pulver returned to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in the newly reinstated lightweight division.

Jens 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.

Jens Pulver was a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 5 reality television show, which hosted sixteen lightweight fighters, including the man who knocked him out previously, Joe Lauzon.

Jens Pulver made overtures toward Penn to set aside their differences and train together but Pulver has said that he would welcome a third fight with Penn.

On July 17,2007, it was announced Jens Pulver would be making his World Extreme Cagefighting debut against Cub Swanson at WEC 30 on September 5,2007.

Jens Pulver had to pull out of the match with Cub Swanson due to a knee injury.

Jens Pulver stated after the fight that he wanted another shot at the title, but wanted "to earn it".

At WEC 38, Jens Pulver lost to Faber in a rematch of their WEC 34 encounter when Jens Pulver succumbed to a guillotine choke early in the first round.

At WEC 41, Jens Pulver was submitted by Josh Grispi via Guillotine Choke within the first minute of the match.

Jens Pulver returned at WEC 47 to face Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Javier Vazquez on March 6,2010.

Jens Pulver lost via submission due to an armbar at 3:41 of the first round.

Jens Pulver met Diego Garijo on August 14,2010 in Irvine, California, losing the bout by submission via guillotine choke in the first round.

Jens Pulver headlined XFO 38 against Mike Lindquist on January 22,2011, where he won the fight by submission at 0:49 in the first round.

On March 5,2011 Jens Pulver defeated Wade Choate by split decision despite breaking his foot in the first round of the fight.

Jens Pulver fought fellow World Extreme Cagefighting veteran, Coty Wheeler at MMA Fight Pit presents "Genesis" on August 13,2011 in New Mexico.

Jens Pulver won the fight via 2nd-round TKO in a dominant performance.

Jens Pulver fought Tim Elliott at Resurrection Fighting Alliance on December 16,2011 and lost the fight via second-round knockout by a knee to the temple.

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Jens 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, Jens Pulver returned to ONE FC in entering their Bantamweight Grand Prix.

Jens Pulver won a technical decision after taking an illegal groin strike and the fight went to the judges score cards in the third round.

Jens Pulver faced Masakatsu Ueda in the Bantamweight Grand Prix Semifinals on April 5,2013 at ONE Fighting Championship: Kings and Champions.

Jens Pulver and his wife have a boy who was born December 16,2008.

In 2014, Jens Pulver makes a cameo on season four of The Vanilla Ice Project on DIY Network.

Jens Pulver is a part of a computer case and video gaming team called, Red Harbinger and goes by the gamer name, "Little Evil".