It really is a shame to see a fighter that is so candid. Fighting is about pride and it is sad to see him crumble in the view of millions....I hope he rises in front of all of us too...
2-8 in his last ten fights is enough to tell him it's time, but ultimately he can do whatever he wants and should do so. He loves to fight, and if losing so many recently isn't enough to stop him, then more power to Jens. May he keep fighting as long as he wants to.
Jens Pulver is a great guy, a great fighter (despite the slump & or win / loss record) an incredible coach and all round nice guy.
And it was refreshing to here a fighter / athlete, being this candid about his career and the "slump"; he's very self-effacing and humble.
Despite the record - his fights are always exciting; lose or win. As an example...I"d rather watch a Pulver loss, then a Fitch victory.
And he's one of the best coaches TUF has ever had. He's also a great corner in a fight.
I wish he was back in the UFC or WEC; they need to expand their rosters to account for exciting fighters with bad records - Pulver and Jardine are two names that come to mind. I think there's a guy over in StrikeForce, that beat Fedor, who might also fit on the list.
Winning is not everything, there's also performance, effort and heart demonstrated. The Silva-Sonnen fight proved it the one way, the Fitch-Alves fight, proved it the other...snoooooze.
Exciting fights happen as a result of exciting fighters; Pulver is an exciting fighter; hand raised or otherwise.
I agree with all of what you said with the exception of Werdum being an exciting fighter. Ever see Werdum-Kharitanov? Trying to bait Kharintanov onto the ground, offering him north-south because he was too afraid to stand. I can't take anything away from him as a man, he's humble and nice and very jovial and a great representative of the sport, and I can't take anything away from his grappling skills, but I hate him as a mixed martial artist.
Let Pulver fight - as long as he isn't ashamed of his recent slump and he's not getting hurt, let him do what he wants to do. The guy doesn't get a pension from the UFC - the paycheques don't hurt.
I alluded to Werdum, simply because he got cut and then beat Fedor.
I hear ya on the paychecks and pensions, thing. I have no idea how all that works, but I'm left with the impression that most fighters aren't doing that well and that's a shame. It costs a great deal of money to train hard and properly.
It's part of the advantage that successful fighters like GSP have over less established fighters, like a Koscheck or Fitch, if GSP wants specialized training or his own chef, to cook all his meals for him and make sure that he's eating properly and too the max...he just goes out and puts his money down and does it; not all fighters can afford to do that.
As to Jens's possible shame - any man or woman, for that matter, that will get in the Octagon and fight, has nothing to be ashamed of. Their record is really a side issue with respect to that. At least, that would be my view of it.
Stress and mental anguish affect an athletes recovery and a huge part of any competitive sport is the mental game. All fighters have a window in their lives in wich they can compete. Its not so much that he is 34. Many fighters train and fight into their 40s. There is only so much mileage a fighter can put on their bodies before it starts to decline. In the fight world it is known as your fighting life. Maybe you dont start putting the mileage on until your 30 and so you can maintain into your 40s On the other hand some guys wrestle, for example, from very early on and come into MMA with a lot of wear and tear. Matt Hughes is a good example of that. He showed an obvious decline around 33-34. Although he seems to be on his second wind now.
Comments
Seriously?
It really is a shame to see a fighter that is so candid. Fighting is about pride and it is sad to see him crumble in the view of millions....I hope he rises in front of all of us too...
hes not like chuck that keeps getting KOd viciously so as long as hes healthy and wants to fight why not?
It can't hurt him that's for sure.
Hopefully he does his own cardio on the side lol
Yes Jens u r done , 6 in a row plz
2-8 in his last ten fights is enough to tell him it's time, but ultimately he can do whatever he wants and should do so. He loves to fight, and if losing so many recently isn't enough to stop him, then more power to Jens. May he keep fighting as long as he wants to.
2-8 in his last 10 fights? Some fighters never make it that far. At this point, you can't even call Jens a gatekeeper.
he can do what he wants with his career
No matter how "fit" or "great" you feel.
No matter how much you love training.
No matter how persistent you are.
etc.
There is one universal saying, that you should consider once in a while, especially when you are 43 years old:
"If your horse is dead, get off."
sry
The guy lost his spark on winning...Retire..Go Away....He sucks...
Jens Pulver is a great guy, a great fighter (despite the slump & or win / loss record) an incredible coach and all round nice guy.
And it was refreshing to here a fighter / athlete, being this candid about his career and the "slump"; he's very self-effacing and humble.
Despite the record - his fights are always exciting; lose or win. As an example...I"d rather watch a Pulver loss, then a Fitch victory.
And he's one of the best coaches TUF has ever had. He's also a great corner in a fight.
I wish he was back in the UFC or WEC; they need to expand their rosters to account for exciting fighters with bad records - Pulver and Jardine are two names that come to mind. I think there's a guy over in StrikeForce, that beat Fedor, who might also fit on the list.
Winning is not everything, there's also performance, effort and heart demonstrated. The Silva-Sonnen fight proved it the one way, the Fitch-Alves fight, proved it the other...snoooooze.
Exciting fights happen as a result of exciting fighters; Pulver is an exciting fighter; hand raised or otherwise.
I agree with all of what you said with the exception of Werdum being an exciting fighter. Ever see Werdum-Kharitanov? Trying to bait Kharintanov onto the ground, offering him north-south because he was too afraid to stand. I can't take anything away from him as a man, he's humble and nice and very jovial and a great representative of the sport, and I can't take anything away from his grappling skills, but I hate him as a mixed martial artist.
Let Pulver fight - as long as he isn't ashamed of his recent slump and he's not getting hurt, let him do what he wants to do. The guy doesn't get a pension from the UFC - the paycheques don't hurt.
@ George
I alluded to Werdum, simply because he got cut and then beat Fedor.
I hear ya on the paychecks and pensions, thing. I have no idea how all that works, but I'm left with the impression that most fighters aren't doing that well and that's a shame. It costs a great deal of money to train hard and properly.
It's part of the advantage that successful fighters like GSP have over less established fighters, like a Koscheck or Fitch, if GSP wants specialized training or his own chef, to cook all his meals for him and make sure that he's eating properly and too the max...he just goes out and puts his money down and does it; not all fighters can afford to do that.
As to Jens's possible shame - any man or woman, for that matter, that will get in the Octagon and fight, has nothing to be ashamed of. Their record is really a side issue with respect to that. At least, that would be my view of it.
Stress and mental anguish affect an athletes recovery and a huge part of any competitive sport is the mental game. All fighters have a window in their lives in wich they can compete. Its not so much that he is 34. Many fighters train and fight into their 40s. There is only so much mileage a fighter can put on their bodies before it starts to decline. In the fight world it is known as your fighting life. Maybe you dont start putting the mileage on until your 30 and so you can maintain into your 40s On the other hand some guys wrestle, for example, from very early on and come into MMA with a lot of wear and tear. Matt Hughes is a good example of that. He showed an obvious decline around 33-34. Although he seems to be on his second wind now.