Before Conor. Before Khabib. Before the bright lights and billion-dollar broadcasts… there was Jens Pulver.
Why Nobody Talks About the UFC’s First Lightweight Champion
In a sport built on violence, few fighters brought as much heart, grit, and raw emotion into the cage as the man they called Lil’ Evil. But behind every punch he threw was a childhood soaked in trauma, a legacy fueled by pain, and a fight that went far beyond the Octagon.
This isn’t just a story about fights and belts. It’s the untold saga of one of MMA’s original pioneers — the first-ever UFC Lightweight Champion — and how he carved out a place in history when the world was barely paying attention. From humble beginnings to Hall of Fame glory, Jens Pulver lived every chapter of the fighter’s journey — the rise, the fall, the redemption.
In this emotional deep-dive documentary, we explore the raw truth behind Pulver’s meteoric rise and his devastating spiral out of the spotlight. We’re talking rivalries, respect, broken contracts, personal demons, and the legacy that almost got left behind. You might think you know his story — but trust us, you’ve never heard it like this.
Why did the UFC strip their first lightweight king? What really happened after the title run? And why is Jens Pulver’s name rarely mentioned alongside the all-time greats?
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ET Phone Home ^
Jens runs the UFC’s twitch channel pretty much full time and streams before every fight. Pretty cool dude and seems to have a good relationship with the company.
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correct
I don’t think it’s some conspiracy to erase them from history. They were champions when the UFC wasn’t as popular. Jens tried to make a comeback after the TUF boom, and it didn’t work out.
The Answer ^
The Natural Born Runner
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Jens was a good guy, best wishes to him
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They don’t pretend he never existed, but I wish UFC would give more actual legends work as analysts rather than the most random mid level guys like Felder, Anthony Smith, Chiesa, Alan Jouban, etc.
Jens was really good on commentary back when he did it sometimes.
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I wanna see an AI Paul Varelans vid. He didn’t have a lot of skill but was willing to get in there with anyone.
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Jesus, they did Fitch dirty with that thumbnail 
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