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#2 Jens Pulver
Jens Pulver was the UFC’s first-ever Lightweight champion, defeating Caol Uno in the inaugural 155lbs title fight back in 2001 at UFC 30. ‘Little Evil’ held onto the title through two successful defences, but after defeating BJ Penn, a contract dispute saw him leave the UFC midway through 2002.
A pair of losses on the regional circuit damaged his aura somewhat, but by mid-2006, Pulver had gone 9-4 outside the UFC with two wins coming in the highly regarded PRIDE organisation. And so when the UFC reintroduced their 155lbs weight class in 2006, ‘Little Evil’ was quickly re-signed and matched with promotional rookie Joe Lauzon at UFC 63 in what sounded like a showcase fight.
Unfortunately for Pulver, the dream return quickly became a nightmare. Lauzon – a huge betting underdog – came out with a huge amount of aggression, and rushed the former champion from the off before catching him with a left hook that knocked him clean out. The return of ‘Little Evil’ was over in under a minute, and any hopes of Pulver regaining his title went up in smoke.
What happened next?
Pulver coached the 5th season of The Ultimate Fighter alongside longtime rival BJ Penn, and when the two fought at the finale, Penn firmly came out on top. Pulver then dropped to 145lbs and moved to the UFC’s sister promotion, the WEC, but only managed a run of 1-5 as a Featherweight before departing in 2010. He continued to fight on the regional circuit, going 5-6 before his apparent retirement in 2013.
