Jens Pulver

By Michael Hatamoto

Former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver thought he had enough left in the gas tank to make a run for the ONE FC bantamweight championship, but fell short when Masakatsu Ueda won by d’arce choke submission at ONE FC 8.

Pulver endured numerous submission attempts in the first round and avoided significant damage when Ueda mounted him – and was able to threaten with a submission of his own in the second round – but ended up bloodied and battered before the experienced Japanese fighter locked in the d’arce choke.

Here is what Pulver had to say following the loss (via Twitter):

“Thank you all for always supporting me.I love ya and very appreciative of all of you.”@tcarnivorehep @mr_josh_smith @802mma_gymTY

— Jens Pulver (@Jens_Pulver) April 5, 2013

Best known for his striking and good defensive wrestling, Pulver is a 38-year-old veteran with a deteriorating chin and noticeably slower hands – and neither problem he can fix, which leads me to believe he’ll only take additional punishment.

Pulver, who captured the UFC lightweight crown at UFC 30 in 2001, has been on a professional – and personal – roller coaster since 2008. Heading into his latest ONE FC fight, Pulver told MMA journalists that he was injury-free, despite having “tired” feet and ankles after years of wear and tear inside the cage.

I wish Pulver nothing but the best, especially if he’s finally going to call it a career, as he’s endured quite a bit of abuse throughout his career dating back to 1999. It seems more likely that Pulver will continue to take fights, whether it’s for ONE FC in Asia or a small regional promotion, to ensure he’s able to keep collecting paychecks.