MMA legend Jens Pulver loves the Philippines
SINGAPORE - Jens Pulver is in the twilight of an illustrious career, and no one knows it better than him.
"Physically I feel great but I won't be fighting too many years more."
Wrinkles now circle his round eyes whenever he flashes that mischievous smile. And the onslaught of time has slowed those fists just a hair. But Pulver has a relaxed demeanor that belies a life filled with unimaginable highs and pockmarked by desolate lows.
Pulver's days as a UFC sensation are long gone. At 37 years old, the native of Maple Valley Washington is no longer the Lightweight champ but he is still punching, kicking, and grappling away in the ONE Fighting Championship, Asia's premier MMA series.
Whether he wins or loses on Saturday's ONE FC: Rise of Kings fight card in Singapore, the legacy and record of "The Lil' Devil" is secure.
Pulver overcame an abusive childhood at the hands of an alcoholic father to graduate with a Criminal Justice degree from Boise State University on a wrestling scholarship.
He soon jumped headlong into the Mixed Martial Arts world and became UFC's first lightweight champ, overcoming Japan's Cael Uno in 2001.
He defended the title twice, the second time in a fight for the ages against BJ Penn in 2002. After a hard-fought contest over five grueling rounds, the referee raised Pulver's hand in triumph. Penn, the man thought unbeatable by many experts, had fallen via majority decision.
Pulver is one of only two fighters to beat Penn at Lightweight, the other being Frankie Edgar.
Jens went on to compile a 26-17-1 record in various MMA productions, and even found time to go four-for-four in boxing, with three of those wins via knockout.
And yet Pulver candidly admits that throughout his life, he has been plagued by demons. And not musclebound opponents intent on pounding him to submission. Pulver's foes are very often in his mind.
"I've achieved a bundle (in my life) but what I haven't achieved is the ability to beat that anxiety and beat that depression and put a smile on my face and be proud that I did this sport."
Pulver has written about his rough childhood and battles with depression in his autobiography, "Little Evil, One Ultimate Fighter's Rise To The Top." He has also bared his struggles in a documentary entitled Jens Pulver: DRIVEN.
One thing hasn't changed over the years for Pulver: he loves to fight. That's why last August he came to the Philippines to face Pinoy Eric Kelly in ONE Fighting Championship: Pride of a Nation.
"I had a great time in the Philippines. I had an absolute blast. Everyone was incredible," he recalls.
But unfortunately for him, the most incredible person he encountered was his opponent.
Eric Kelly may have a Western-sounding name and he may now fight out of MuayFit in Malaysia, but like many of the top Pinoy MMA fighters, he is a proud Igorot with a mean streak in the cage. He certainly came to fight on August 31 in the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Pulver started well but Kelly's speed, strength and energy soon came to the fore. At 1:46 into the second round, with Kelly raining kicks and punches on Pulver from all angles, the referee stopped the fight.
"Eric Kelly is a tough kid. Like I said, he is strong."
"I was jet lagged. That's the longest flight." (Pulver now resides in Crystal Lake, Illinois.) "To leave 3 am on a Monday then show up 10:30 on a Wednesday that's like, huh? But that's no excuse."
"I remember looking at my corner and thinking, oh my lungs burned like I never felt in my life. All the best to him. I'll be rooting him on."
But in spite of the rough hospitality he received in the Philippines, Pulver nonetheless was touched enough by the recent flooding to lend a hand.
On his website, jenspulver.com, the lightweight has offered to sell autographed shirts with the map of the Philippines and a band-aid on it. All the proceeds will go to flood victims.
"You need to come to the website to tell me who to give the money to," he told me. "I wanna give it to a legit organization that's gonna help the kids. That's something I wanted to do for them.
"We are just starting (on the fund-raising.) I lost my momentum when they got me for this fight. Now you got a guy who wants to kick your head in so you kinda forget about that (the fund raising.)
Pulver may be generous when it comes to flood victims, but on Saturday night at the Singapore Indoor stadium, no quarter will be given against his Chinese opponent in the ONE FC Bantamweight Grand Prix fight, Zhao Ya Fei.
"He's tough, man. He's a youngster, he's fast, coming off two wins in a row. Lot of kicks and stuff. He's young and fast and I'm old and slow.
"In this day and age they all know what they're doing. It's about implementing game plans."
The Grand Prix is an eight-man tournament that will conclude with a title bout in late 2013.
"I don't think you wanna lose the first couple of rounds of your first fight if you wanna make the final," quips Pulver with a smile.
And so Pulver does what he has done for the last three years; prepare for the next fight. Hope for another one. Keep fit. Soldier on.
In his career he has seen Mixed Martial Arts blossom from a counter-culture underground phenomenon into a red-hot multi-billion dollar sport that is growing everyday. Was he born too early?
"No" he answers flatly. "I pioneered it. Someone had to do it for the little guys. That's my place in history. It is what it is."
ONE FC Rise of Kings is available on live streaming at http://www.onefc.livesport.tv/ for just US$9.99. The undercards are free of charge. For more info visit onefc.com or follow ONE FC on Twitter @ONEFCMMA.
Filipino Kevin Belingon will also fight in the card, against Russian Yusup Saadulaev. The showdown is also part of the Bantamweight Grand Prix tournament of ONE FC.
You can follow Bob on Twitter @bhobg333.
Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.
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