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Jens Pulver’s Corridor of Fame induction exceeded even his wildest expectations.
The UFC’s first ever light-weight champion, Pulver is a pioneer of the sub-170 pound weight divisions in MMA, and final week, he lastly put a capstone on his legendary profession when he was inducted into the UFC’s Corridor of Fame. Talking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour on Monday, “Lil’ Evil” was nonetheless all smiles from the large occasion.
“I’ve received this massive, tacky smile, it hasn’t left!,” Pulver mentioned. “It’s been — I don’t even know start. My household, all people that was there, the followers, the group, all the pieces. I’m caught. I don’t know what to say. It’s a kind of issues the place I simply did all the pieces in my energy to ensure you decelerate, get pleasure from it, get pleasure from it to the very best of your capacity, get pleasure from each second, take all of it in. In order that’s form of what I did, simply reside by the minute and simply embraced it.
“One of many cool issues we had happening too was they had been filming that ‘The place Are They Now?’… So I’m actually excited once we get by all of this, that may come out most likely in October or one thing, so we get to relive the entire thing once more,” Pulver continued. “Then my producers… he filmed hours. So he’s received all of it. Wait till you see these movies. He’s received one in all me within the again, I’m watching Brian Butler induct me, I’m crying, I’m laughing, I’m cheering, I’m crying, I’m laughing, then I get referred to as out and off we go. So there’s going to be so much. We’re going to be residing this factor for a short time, I believe.”
Pulver retired from MMA in 2013, ending a 14-year profession that noticed him compete within the UFC, WEC, Satisfaction, the IFL, and ONE Championship, amongst different promotions. Since then, he has taken over the UFC’s Twitch streaming channel, internet hosting watch-alongs for pay-per-views and doing different issues that don’t contain getting punched for a residing. However regardless of his lengthy absence from combating, he mentioned that his induction felt a lot the identical as when he was nonetheless competing within the UFC.
“You understand what the weirdest factor was? I felt like I used to be combating,” Pulver mentioned. “I felt like Wednesday was the day the place you weighed in and all the pieces, after which Thursday within the afternoon, we needed to go early to do sound test, and I received to offer all people a hug. All people was ready round, I come down from the elevator, give all people a hug, the high-fives, ‘Love y’all, I’ll see you on the present.’ It felt like my PTSD was going by the roof. I felt like I used to be going to say my goodbyes and I’m on my option to the world, which I used to be solely this time I wasn’t combating, I used to be getting inducted. I needed to persuade myself, ‘This feels precisely the identical approach.’ So it was unbelievable.
“It was an superior feeling, absorbing it. It’s a rush,” Pulver added. “You get nervous. I don’t suppose individuals perceive and I say it on a regular basis about time: cash can’t purchase it, we all the time want we had extra, and the truth that you all are in right here giving us your time, the best factor on the earth, to get on the market and get in entrance of you. Clearly I used to be nervous when it got here to giving my speech. I memorized the rattling factor, I mentioned it at the very least 25 rattling occasions earlier than I went on the market however then I knew the emotion was going to leap in, all of the persons are there, I’m going to lock eyes with somebody or one thing after which it’s simply going to — however that’s identical to within the combat world. It’s all golden till that stroll out to the cage, BOOM, it’s like placing your toes in freezing chilly water. It’s a rush, each time, it doesn’t matter. So that you simply need to be sure that all the pieces goes the way in which you’re rehearsing it up right here [points to head].”
Pulver made his UFC debut in 1999 and gained the UFC inaugural light-weight title two years later. After leaving the UFC because of contractual dispute in 2002, Pulver fought in quite a lot of organizations however got here again to the UFC in 2006 after which coached reverse B.J. Penn on season 5 of The Final Fighter.
After that, Pulver then selected to maneuver to the WEC to assist develop the featherweight division, difficult for the WEC featherweight title in opposition to Urijah Faber in 2008. Given his quite a few contributions to each the UFC and MMA as an entire, many felt that Pulver’s induction to the Corridor of Fame was lengthy overdue. However contemplating how all the pieces labored out, together with getting inducted into the Corridor of Fame alongside longtime good friend and teammate Robbie Lawler, he’s thrilled with all the pieces.
“I can’t even — future,” Pulver mentioned. “Once more, it’s so bizarre. I like all people once they say, ‘It’s about time.’ Thanks a lot… I all the time say it’s the right time. Simply take a look at the way in which that it occurred and subsequent factor you recognize I’m sitting right here at Robbie’s combat — nicely, I’m commentating with Bas Rutten, however I’m on the identical occasion, Robbie goes on the market and simply the way in which that he went out, unexpectedly there’s my little brother, after which I received to see Nick [Diaz], he was strolling round, it was loopy, we had been like two brothers, I used to be holding onto him and we had been strolling alongside simply speaking and catching up. Then all of us received collectively for a minute! … My whole previous unexpectedly rolled up into one massive ball of greatness and it was cool as a result of it was simply the right time. And to see Robbie exit and the way in which that he went out, along with his combat, I used to be crying…
“It was simply an unbelievable second to have all of this. I keep in mind Robbie was 17-years-old, rolled up with a two by 4 hanging out his windshield and he needed to go win this powerful contest and he received $1000 and that’s how he paid for his windshield… He was a junior in highschool after I first met him. We might go watch him practice in highschool and stuff. Robbie has actually been my little brother for a very long time.”
The most effective half although, Pulver mentioned, wasn’t the ceremony, or the respect, or getting inducted as a part of arguably the best Corridor of Fame class in UFC historical past. As a substitute, he mentioned it was all his interactions with the followers over the previous week in Las Vegas.
“My pals, my household, my cousin Justin, all people [was great]. However above all of them, it was simply so cool, the followers,” Pulver mentioned. “Irrespective of the place you go, simply speeding as much as you and saying hiya. I felt so dangerous after I couldn’t signal each autograph that day as a result of we had been there for a three-hour window and I felt horrible leaving individuals behind… The followers. There’s nothing prefer it. Among the best interactions I’ve ever had in my life. Individuals, they simply need to provide you with their time. You get to simply meet individuals and so they get to speak to you and also you get to make their day, and so they put a smile in your face. They wait in line simply to satisfy you, you meet their youngsters, you meet their pals, it’s the good factor on the planet. I adore it.
“It crushed [my expectations],” Pulver concluded. “With my household, with Robbie, it couldn’t have been higher. With Cowboy [Donald Cerrone], with Jose Aldo, with all people. And with the followers. I actually missed that. That was actually cool to simply be again in there and really feel related, to fill that gap, simply to go on the market and listen to all people and stuff. It was higher than I might have ever thought.”
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