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Opinion & Analysis
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The Specialists
BOOK REVIEW (pt. 2 of 4): Ten things I learned from Jens Pulver’s “Little Evil: One Ultimate Fighter’s Rise to the Top”
10. Jens had an abusive childhood and was raised by an alcoholic
father who tried to kill him when he was seven.
9. He grew up on a farm in Maple Valley, Washington.
8. Pulver’s mother got him involved in wrestling to get him away from
his father for a few hours a week when he was 8.
7. Pulver used drugs and alcohol in high school and nearly failed
out. He was a standout wrestler and stayed in school, because it was
the only thing he was good at.
6. While he was in college at Boise State on a wrestling scholarship,
he allowed his father back into his life. After reconnecting with
him, he started drinking instead of studying and lost his scholarship.
5. The first MMA fight of his career was against a much taller fighter
who weighed 210 pounds. He took him down and beat him with ground and
pound in less than two minutes.
4. His first tournament fighting was in the Bas Rutten Invitational.
He beat Curtis Hill in his first fight and lost to David Harris in the
finals.
3. The first real training Jens did for MMA was with Bob Shamrock.
Bob is the father of Ken and Frank Shamrock.
2. The nickname “Little Evil” was given to him by his teammates at
the Miletich Fighting System shortly after he arrived, because he was
so aggressive.
1. Jens Pulver refers to fighting in a cage as “The art of reality
fighting.“ He explains fighting in the cage is nothing compared to the
fist fights he suffered at the hands of his father. His childhood
made him the right person at the right time to become the first
lightweight world champion in the UFC.
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