I'll Hit It! 06.27.07

Posted by Don Abato on 06.27.2007

Jens Pulver lost to B.J. Penn by rear naked choke last weekend in the "Ultimate Fighter Finale." But there was a bigger event involving Pulver that night. Unfortunately it was a moment unknown to many watching.

Last Saturday night it seemed like the two trailblazers of the UFC lightweight division ended their tour through that particular weight class. Jens Pulver and B.J. Penn, two of the brightest names in a divsion having seen much drama in the UFC. I've always been biased when it comes to the lightweights because to me collectively they seemed to be the most complete and dynamic fighters of all the weight classes. But for a while the UFC big wigs did not agree.

All the new fans now know Jens was the first champion at this weight after beating Caol Uno for the title. And all the new fans also know Pulver defeated B.J. in his only UFC title defense when the two met back in UFC 35. But what a lot of the new fans aren't aware of was how the so-called Jens Pulver curse allegedly haunted the 155 pound division.

Shortly after beating Penn, Pulver left the UFC for other organizations after a contract squabble. Although he enjoyed mixed success, win or lose his fights were always exciting. It was a different story for the weight class he left though. The UFC held a lightweight tournament to crown a champion. Anticipation for it was high since it had lots of hype and excitement. Four of the most exciting 155ers in all of MMA would vie for the open UFC lightweight title. The entries into this much-hyped tournament were B.J. Penn, Matt Serra, Din Thomas and Caol Uno.

The small but loyal fanbase at the time expected exciting non-stop action. Unfortunately the result was the opposite. The four-man tourney produced three drawn out fights with all going to a judges decision. No champion would be crowned from this tournament. Penn and Uno faced off to a draw in the championship match in UFC 41. Looking back, it almost seemed like the perfect way to end such a disappointing tournament.

In the young history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship only one person up to that point had claimed the title of lightweight champion: Jens Pulver. With no champion the division lost interest not from the fans, but from the UFC top brass. Zuffa's strategy to attract more fans was to focus on the heavyweight division. The reasoning being heavyweight boxers attract and grab the imagination of fight fans, rabid and casual. Thus growing and marketing the weightclass would bring more heads to the UFC. The decision to put attention towards the big boys meant the "little man" division got neglected.

Live events went by and rarely featured a 155 pound fight. To the dismay of hardcore MMA fans it was obvious management had no intention of crowning a champion. Some thought no one could lay claim to the title because of the "curse" left by Pulver on the divsion since he had parted ways with the UFC in not-so-good terms(contract negotiation failure.) Fans had to put up with an "uncrowned" champion in the person of Thugjitsu specialist Yves Edwards, the self-proclaimed people's champion, although it seemed a majority of UFC fans agreed.

While the UFC had a lack of faith in the lightweights, Pride Fighting in Japan embraced the division creating Pride Bushido. Originally created as a showdown between Team Gracie and Team Japan, it became showcase for the fighters below 200 pounds. These shows were electric and showcased how talented the lighter fighters were. Meantime back in the U.S. the UFC continued to focus on the anemic heavyweight division. Sure it had a dominant champion in Andre Arlovski, but no contenders. Ironically, most of the top level heavyweights were also contracted to Pride. The result, laughable heavyweight title matches failing to grab the attention of knowledable fans. Meantime the lightweight division in the UFC nearly disappeared it seemed.

The story does have a happy ending. UFC President Dana White wised up and brought the division back and eventually Sean Sherk claimed the title. The "dark" division of the UFC rose again and enjoyed new life. The curse of Jens was lifted now that someone had finally claimed the belt. In fact, the crowning of Sherk was a great moment I feel in UFC because 1) It was the rebirth in the UFC of what really has been a great division on the international stage(see Shooto and Heroes in Japan.) Second reason, respected MMA veteran Sean Sherk had finally earned a title after years of sacrifice, dedication and a "premature retirement."

But now I feel the division can truly move forward. It has a deep talent pool which will only grow more with the new stream of TUF alum and the roster of Pride fighters acquired from Japan based DSE. When Jens talked to Joe Rogan after tapping to B.J. Penn he said, "When we started out in the beginning of this game, and it was growin'. We built a weightclass." The "we" being Pulver and Penn. Lil' Evil went on to say, "I remember everybody told me when it started, you gotta go 170, you gotta go hey, light heavyweight there is no 155. I said back then no, I keep whippin' ass, I'll keep fighting hard, they'll create a weight class. B.J. came along and solidified that weight class. This is almost our way of saying goodbye."

In a way I feel it's more like Jens officially ending the hex he unknowingly put on the division and helping the "new" 155 pound division move forward. Even though we all know there was never really a curse, it is really fitting things went the way they did last Saturday at The Ultimate Fighter Finale. Although his hand wasn't raised in victory that night, Pulver emerged a winner in the long run because he got to end his chapter in the UFC's 155 pound division by doing in the inside the Octagon, not the bargaining table. A big finish for the small guy, and a proper ending for a true warrior. Now it's time to see if he can make his presence felt in the WEC.