Jens Pulver "Crushed And Heartbroken" After WEC 41 Loss To Josh Grispi

Although he again stopped short of saying he'll retire, another devastating loss last night in WEC has Jens Pulver again being forced to figure out what he's going to do next. The heartbreaking loss that left him "crushed" was his 4th straight and 6th in his last 7 fights, and could be his last for Zuffa.

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I hate to see this happen but ever fighter goes through it, Jens is a legend, but he needs to call it quits.IMO

Good article. But below the article, I think someone put it best, in the comments section.

"i think he should get a good manager/agent, stop fighting, and start building his brand. there are likely hundreds of mma gyms that would pay pulver a decent salary as a head coach for the privilege of putting “pulver” on the door.
write some books about the earlier days of the UFC; do some motivational speaking in high schools; put out some instructional videos; be a contributing author in a major sports magazine; the sky is actually the limit for this guy after his fighting career is over. if he’s smart about it, he can make more money now than he ever did his whole career."

grispi looked a little sad after his win. I didn't see any post fight celebration on his part. Man it sucks but mayby pulver needs to take some time off and retool his game he's not that old he just hasn't evolved.

I'll always root for Jens, no matter what he chooses to do. The guy is just a likeable human being.

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Posted by Kpro

Good article. But below the article, I think someone put it best, in the comments section.

"i think he should get a good manager/agent, stop fighting, and start building his brand. there are likely hundreds of mma gyms that would pay pulver a decent salary as a head coach for the privilege of putting “pulver” on the door.
write some books about the earlier days of the UFC; do some motivational speaking in high schools; put out some instructional videos; be a contributing author in a major sports magazine; the sky is actually the limit for this guy after his fighting career is over. if he’s smart about it, he can make more money now than he ever did his whole career."

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Some promoter out there would take a chance on him because of his record and name recognition, but he just can't compete anymore with the younger fighters today. The game's changed a lot since his prime and I think a cut to 135 is asking too much for him to fight again. Time to become a trainer or give TV a shot.

DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT LET HIM FIGHT JOSE ALDO!!!!

I felt more sorry for Cub Swanson than I did for Jens Pulver.... Ironically Cub was the only win in the last 7 fights for Pulver yet Cub got the call to fight Aldo.... BAD MATCHMAKING....

Every one is always soo quick to tell a fighter to retire. IMO it just means you need to stop taking top competition. Dan Severn is still fighting for christ sake and wins so like I said if you really want to fight then fight just don't expect to beat the best in the division.

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Posted by theguido

Every one is always soo quick to tell a fighter to retire. IMO it just means you need to stop taking top competition. Dan Severn is still fighting for christ sake and wins so like I said if you really want to fight then fight just don't expect to beat the best in the division.

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Right, but you gotta understand the love these guys have for the game is their love of being on top. Being one of the best. It is heartbreaking to realize you just don't have it anymore. Not only that, but you're not fighting in front of 15,000 anymore, you're now fighting in front of 1,000 fans who could care less who you are. Jens obviously feeds off of the fans, and I think taking a big step down in competition to fight in a smaller org would be hard for him.

This is not a simple thing by any means, and what works for one guy may not work for another guy.

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Posted by Jackelope

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Posted by theguido

Every one is always soo quick to tell a fighter to retire. IMO it just means you need to stop taking top competition. Dan Severn is still fighting for christ sake and wins so like I said if you really want to fight then fight just don't expect to beat the best in the division.

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Right, but you gotta understand the love these guys have for the game is their love of being on top. Being one of the best. It is heartbreaking to realize you just don't have it anymore. Not only that, but you're not fighting in front of 15,000 anymore, you're now fighting in front of 1,000 fans who could care less who you are. Jens obviously feeds off of the fans, and I think taking a big step down in competition to fight in a smaller org would be hard for him.

This is not a simple thing by any means, and what works for one guy may not work for another guy.

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Exactly, big name guys don't like to step down in competition, and like you said Jens loves the fans, Jens will end up retiring before he fights guys he don't even know, at an organization know one has ever heard of.JMO

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Posted by Jackelope

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Posted by theguido

Every one is always soo quick to tell a fighter to retire. IMO it just means you need to stop taking top competition. Dan Severn is still fighting for christ sake and wins so like I said if you really want to fight then fight just don't expect to beat the best in the division.

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Right, but you gotta understand the love these guys have for the game is their love of being on top. Being one of the best. It is heartbreaking to realize you just don't have it anymore. Not only that, but you're not fighting in front of 15,000 anymore, you're now fighting in front of 1,000 fans who could care less who you are. Jens obviously feeds off of the fans, and I think taking a big step down in competition to fight in a smaller org would be hard for him.

This is not a simple thing by any means, and what works for one guy may not work for another guy.

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I agree Jackelope.....I also think its fairly clear to everyone that if you cant fight at the top level as a legend of the sport its better to retire for you mentally, physically, and your marketability. Also as a Fan myself I don't want to see Jens go down the road of being the guy who should have quit years ago. Its clear that Jen will be in the UFC HOF and because of this there are TONs of gyms that would pay him good money just to use his name. I think Jen should hang them up and start focusing on training the next generation of fighters. Maybe even opening up his own gym.

On a side note I know Dan Severn personally and he still fights because of money. He was at the top of the MMA game when fighters barely made enough to pay for their food. He doesn't have the name recognition Jens does. So he is forced to fight still because that's about his only option. Now don't get me wrong Dan also fights because that's what he loves to do but if he came in to ton of money I wouldn't be shocked if he retired.

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do some motivational speaking in high schools

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have you heard pulver talk?

seriously tho i agree with most of that but guys like pulver and liddell just love fighting. its tough to watch them lose but its harder to watch them walk away when they dont feel they are ready.

i dont see any reason they cant continue to fight. theres plenty of other guys in that situation who just want to keep fighting. put these guys together! they may not be at the top of there game but your still getting big names fighting big name. with guys like coleman, randleman, liddell, pulver, and soon maybe couture and nogeira you could have great show openers or co-main events.

its not always about money or a title belt. whats wrong with fighting because you love it?

pulver needs to retire more than lidell or any other fighter not bad making that much money in last two fight that ended in minutes

I think 90% of mma fans where also a little crushed by his loss, I know I was. I just wish him the best in whatever he does, he seems like such a cool guy.

Pulver is a class act not a hateful bone in his body and for that you gotta love Jens.