JENS PULVER READY TO START FROM THE BOTTOM

By Mitch Gobetz

Jens Pulver had less than a stellar performance his first fight back in the Octagon at UFC 63. Jens was so happy about being back in the UFC that he self-admittedly forgot to concentrate on Joe Lauzon, his opponent. Forty eight seconds later, that fight was over.

Jens hasn’t fought since then because he was chosen to be a coach on season five of the Ultimate Fighter. He will be facing his top nemesis in BJ Penn on the live season finale.

Jens was on MMAWeekly Radio to talk about his experience on the Ultimate Fighter and his thoughts on BJ Penn. “It was definitely different,” said the former UFC lightweight champion. “I had a great time. It was really fun going to war with BJ. I ended up not liking him a lot as the show went on.”

The Ultimate Fighter has been the number one reason for the UFC’s heightened popularity the last three years. Nothing makes a show work like controversy. BJ and Jens definitely have animosity for one another. Host Damon Martin asked Jens about BJ. “I think he’s a great fighter, he has a lot of skills. But the difference is he has no respect for me, and that pisses me off. I’m gonna knock him out, that’s all there is to it.”

Apparently, Jens has been going through some things and is looking to get back on top. The Ultimate Fighter show definitely lit a fire under the 31 year old. “I’m done being fat and lazy. I’m tired of half-assing my career.”

Coaching hasn’t really been something that Jens has done before, so this was new territory for him. He found out that it isn’t as easy as he may have thought. Jens remembers back when he used to be tough to coach and he personally wanted to thank coach Pat Miletich for that. “I called Pat and apologized for all the tantrums I threw in practice. It definitely gave me a new perspective.”

The fight between BJ Penn and Jens Pulver is scheduled to be on the finale of the Ultimate Fighter 5. Jens is very fired up for this fight and he doesn’t want to just beat BJ, but hurt him. “I don’t wanna just fight him. I wanna knock the s--- out of him. I don’t care if I get submitted. As long as I can knock out eight of his teeth, I’ll tap right there. This is the biggest fight of my life. I just lost everything. I’m starting from the bottom. This is the biggest fight of my life. Period.”

Last season of TUF lacked the excitement of two rival coaches. Most of the shows were not very controversial. We were assured by Jens that this would be a fantastic season with some crazy antics. “Nothing was scripted. Nothing was set up. They just ended up with some of the craziest s---. The first show you don’t wanna miss. I know its cliché. You do not want to miss it. There’s some s--- that goes down, right in the very first show.”