Interview with Jens Pulver
By Ken Pishna


While in Iowa for Monte Cox’s Extreme Challenge 49 Middleweight Tournament, MMAWeekly.com’s Ken Pishna was lucky enough to corner Jens Pulver and get the word on everything from his crushing defeat to his bundle of joy to his plans to leave Iowa and possibly even retire. (And Jens was lucky enough to avoid getting caught in the middle of Matt Hughes and Tim Sylvia’s game of Thai Kick Tag!)


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MMAWeekly: So, Jens, what’s been happening since your loss to Duane Ludwig at UCC 12?

Jens Pulver: I’ve just been sitting at home, really. Reflecting, trying to think about what it was that happened. And the more I sit at home, the more I think about what was going on, I was having a hard time. I’m not making excuses. Duane caught me. Duane studied me, Duane beat me. I give all the props in the world to him. But as far as me, if you watched the tape, I ran out there brawling, I ran out there and threw two great big punches, just wild. I got caught up in this whole stand up thing and I went out there angry. And that’s not my motif. I’ve never fought like that. I’m always patient, kind of slow, calculated. And Duane was ready for it. I’ve looked at a lot of things that are going on. I’ve been keeping one big secret from the MMA world and that is that I’m having a little girl, I’m having a baby in a month.

MMAWeekly: Really? Congratulations man!

Jens: Thank you, thanks. That’s been tough. That’s a lot of work, a lot of preparation. I’m not married. The girl and I are friends, we’re dating. And watching Tony get his head split open, that happened right before my fight. And it was just a lot of things kind of built up and I just went out there angry. It wasn’t a fight for me no more, I was just angry. I wanted to throw and get all my frustrations out. I lost my skill in the process.

MMAWeekly: You had mentioned many times that you wanted to become more of an exciting standup type of fighter. Do you feel like that kind of got in your head and affected your game?

Jens: I know it did. I didn’t even think about take downs, didn’t even think about grappling. I’m sitting here worried about this guy, thinking his stand up is great. It never even crossed my mind, “oh, just take him down and beat him on the ground.” I got so wrapped up in what I was doing. After 3 years of winning and going undefeated and being on this big streak and holding the belts that I held, you kind of have to invent things to keep you motivated and get you going again. That’s what I did. I just wanted to be a stand up guy and that’s what Duane was really good at. I don’t like being the favorite, I like to be the underdog. Well, I’m an underdog in the standup game, so that’s what I’m going to go after is his stand up game. The weird thing is, a lot of people talk and they talk about the whole fight. The truth is after my second left hand, I was out. I do not remember the rest of that fight, the takedowns, the stand up, rolling under the ropes, I don’t remember any of it. I was out the whole time. I woke up back on the seat looking at Pat going, “Hey, what happened?” He goes, “Well, it’s over.” And I go, “Really, that’s the fastest round I’ve ever done in my life man. Wow! That was a fast five minutes,” then I go, “What the? Why’s he putting his shirt on?” He goes, “No, it’s over Jens. You got knocked out.” I go, “Awe, I got knocked out? Oh man.”

MMAWeekly: That’s the first thing you remembered?

Jens: Yeah, then I’m sitting in the locker room and I go, “Well what’s this bruise here?” And they go, “Oh, well that’s where he tried to kick you in the head.” I’m like, “Well, what are these bruises right here?” They go, “That’s when you shot in on him.” I go, “What’s this bruise on my chin?” And their like, “That’s where he caught you with the left hook.” I’m like, “God damn, how long did we fight?” A lot of people ask me, “Are you hurt? Are you upset?” I’m doing fine, I don’t remember it enough to be hurt. I can’t accept all the wins and all the great things that MMA has done for me if I can’t take a loss. It’s just one of them things. Look what happened last time I lost. I ended up beating the world. I wouldn’t want to be the guy that I fight next. It’s given me a lot of focus.

MMAWeekly: Sounds like you have a great attitude about it. Have you started planning a comeback yet or are you mulling things over?

Jens: I’m working on it. I think a big thing for me, and I make no secrets about it, being in the UFC and then leaving the UFC, it’s been tough on me. You know, you had a belt. You had a motivation going in to every fight. So now, you’re just kind of going out there for money. I thought that was what it was about, just getting money.

MMAWeekly: And now you think it’s not so much about the money?

Jens: To me, it’s not. I lost focus on why I it was that I was fighting. I liked to fight in the UFC because my family got to watch me, my friends. Like I said, I came from garbage. I came from nothing. I was abused. And this is a great way for me to achieve my dreams. Dana and Lorenzo and all those guys are great people, I just miss them. I miss being around those guys. I miss being around the fighters. Somewhere along the way, I just kind of went on a little self destruction. The only thing that I’m thinking about now, is when I fight again, I want it to be somewhere where I’m going to be happy. I’m going to go back to what I used to be. I’m not Jens Pulver the stand up guy.

MMAWeekly: Do you think that your attempt to be a stand up fighter was a failed attempt?

Jens: I don’t think it was failed. I’m in MMA. There’s a reason why they don’t box with 4 ounce Boxergenics on their hands. They will sting yah. I got the stand up, but I just got to remember. I got to go back to what I was. I was a wrestler. I came from the ground and I got to keep that in mind. I forgot about my ground all together. All I was thinking about was stand up. I got to change that up. This is everything goes and I have to go back to using everything.

MMAWeekly: It sounds like a lot of your thoughts center around the UFC. Are you going to make a hard push to get back into the UFC?

Jens: I’m not gonna make a hard push. But, I’ve got a little girl on the way and there are a few things that I’d like to do for myself. I’d like to beat Royce Gracie’s record, I’d like to go 10-0 in the UFC. But again, there’s a lot of problems with that. I don’t know if they’ll ever have me back. I don’t know if they want me back and the truth is, it’s not necessarily the UFC that I’m worried about getting into or getting out of. I just want to be happy wherever it is that I’m fighting. I was extremely happy when I was in the UFC.

MMAWeekly: Do you regret deciding to leave the UFC?

Jens: I took some advice from people and made my decisions, and I stick by my decisions. If I never go back, that’s okay, I did what I needed to do when I was there. I gotta be happy. I gotta get hungry again. I gotta have fun. It’s gotta stop being a job and stop being about money. It’s gotta be about the fans and being about having fun again. If I don’t have that, then I really don’t want to do it any more. I’ve contemplated quitting and start training other people who are hungry and have what I had.

MMAWeekly: The thought of quitting has come about since your fight in the UCC?

Jens: Yeah, since the UCC. I still, I haven’t fully made up my mind. I may not fight anymore. I’m gonna help Rich Clemente get ready for his fight in the UFC against Yves Edwards. I don’t know, there’s just a lot more on my plate right now than there was six months ago.

MMAWeekly: So you’re saying that you might not return to the ring?

Jens: I don’t know if I will or not.

MMAWeekly: I know a lot of people would be disappointed if they don’t ever get to see you fight again, myself included.

Jens: I don’t want to disappoint anybody. I want to be the fighter that they knew and grew to enjoy and grew to like. And if I don’t, then I’d be cheating them, just like I’d be cheating you and I’d be cheating myself. So, that’s what I’m after right now. I’m looking at maybe making a move to Vegas for training. Not because of anything wrong here. The things that I have set up to do after fighting are in Vegas, working with elderly care and things like that. Which is something that I’ve always wanted to do, working with people.

MMAWeekly: What would be your involvement with that?

Jens: Basically just running a business. Doing in-home nursing and registered nursing and things like that. It’d be great for fighters. The fighters could go spend some time with the elderly people, just hang out with them and get paid. They’d have a job, you know. Elderly people, they’re the warriors. Anyone that can make it as long as they have, my hat is off to them. That’s just a job that I’ve been planning for a long time.

MMAWeekly: So you would run the business?

Jens: Well, what it would do is, it would get me back to Boise so I can complete the circle that I’ve been trying to complete which is to run the office there in Boise and take care of Boise’s elderly. And then go back to fly fishing and get outdoors. Start training fighters and start working with teams and possibly fight myself. It’s just time to make a move and get back to what I was doing before and just always remembering, there’s gonna be an exit here pretty soon and your window is short as a fighter.

MMAWeekly: Does this mean that you’re leaving Miletich Fighting Systems and Team Extreme?

Jens: No, I’ll never leave Monte. Monte has been a great manager to me.

MMAWeekly: What about Pat?

Jens: The thing is with Pat is he’s kind of like the nest. I mean, he took care of me, he’s mothered me and even he agrees, maybe it’s time for me to go. I have a lot of experience.

MMAWeekly: So, you feel like you need to go out on your own?

Jens: Now, when I get into a big fight, I’m coming back here. But, before that, it is time for me to go out there and make my own life. I’m not really doing much here but training with people and for three years, that was fun. That’s what I wanted. But I need more to do than just sitting around training all day long. I’ve got to have an exit from the fighting world and that was the other thing. Constantly being in the gym, never taking yourself anywhere. Never giving yourself a reward for winning. Never giving yourself time to forget that you’re a fighter and go be something else. There’s nothing to do in Iowa man, that’s why the fighters are so good here, you’re stuck, you train, that’s it. [laughs] It’s just time for me to go out there and plan my exit while I have the opportunity.

MMAWeekly: Sounds like you’ve really been thinking things through?

Jens: Oh boy, I tell you what, it’s been a spiritual thing man. I go from I don’t know if I even want to fight again to completely accepting the fact that I got beat. I’m glad I got beat by such a classy individual though. Duane was nothing but class. Bas Rutten, I always loved him, he’s a great guy. I got started in his tournament in Denver. If it had to go, I’m glad it went to him. Now I’ll be ready. If a guy like B.J. comes at me, I’ll have to flatten him. Guys like him don’t deserve it, but a guy like Duane, very deserving, very humble, a guy who works hard. If I had to go down, I’m glad I went down to a guy like him. Problem is, I’m gonna come back up. That I know. I’m not gonna go out on a low note.

MMAWeekly: Despite what you said, you don’t sound like you’re done yet.

Jens: Not yet, there’s still some fire in this belly. I’m just trying to figure out which direction I want to shoot it.

MMAWeekly: Well, thanks for talking to us at MMAWeekly.com Jens.

Jens: Thank you, I appreciate it. Anything for MMAWeekly.