Sherdog Preview: TUF 5 Finale
Penn vs. Pulver
B.J. Penn
(Pictures) vs. Jens Pulver (Pictures)
After the most intense high stakes ping-pong game in reality television history, B.J. Penn (Pictures) and Jens Pulver (Pictures) are looking to settle their score through more traditional means. Namely, by trading the verbal jabs for real ones.
It has been five and a half years since Pulver took home a majority decision win over Penn, who despite having only three professional bouts to his name at the time, entered the fight as the favorite. Feeling slighted by a perceived lack of respect from the media, fans and Penn himself, Pulver retained his UFC lightweight title thanks to a come from behind rally that dispelled the myth of Penn's invincibility.
Unfortunately for Pulver, taking out the UFC's lightweight poster boy didn't do much for his paycheck. Contract negotiations with the UFC broke down and the organization's first lightweight champion found himself in the unfamiliar position of being the MMA equivalent of a free agent.
Bouncing around from one organization to another proved to be a disaster for Pulver, who was upset in back-to-back fights by Duane "Bang" Ludwig (15-6) and Jason Maxwell (Pictures) (9-8). It wasn't until Pulver returned to his Midwest roots that he regained his bearings and was afforded an altogether unexpected opportunity.
Shooto, one of the premier destinations for sub-middleweight talent in the world, offered Pulver a chance to compete in the always competitive lightweight 143-pound division. The move down in weight proved to be a shrewd one for Pulver as he scored KO victories over Naoya Uematsu (Pictures) (14-7-2) and Stephen Palling (Pictures) (11-7-1).
Pulver's run through the featherweight division would not last long as plans for a match with Hiroyuki Takaya (Pictures) (7-4-1) in Shooto were scrapped in favor of a showdown with PRIDE ace Takanori Gomi (Pictures) (27-3). Pulver, a diminutive lightweight to begin with, was no match for the Gigantor that is Gomi, who handed Pulver another KO loss.
Despite notching knockout wins over Kenji Arai (Pictures) (10-11-2) and Tomomi Iwama (5-5-1), Pulver's time in PRIDE proved to be a disappointment as he was knocked out of their tournament in the first round by Hayato Sakurai (30-7-2). A brief foray in the International Fight League saw Pulver regain his winning form with a KO of Cole Escovedo (Pictures) (11-4) and with that, a long anticipated return to the UFC.
Matched up against up-and-coming lightweight prospect Joe Lauzon (Pictures) (14-3), Pulver entered the fight a huge favorite and left it with a bruised ego as Lauzon needed only 48 seconds to dispose of the former UFC champ. With Pulver collecting KO losses like Pac-Man Jones collects arrest warrants, one must wonder if Pulver, at 32 years of age, has already seen his best days.
No such questions surround Pulver's opponent, who enters this fight looking to take the first step towards becoming the dominant lightweight that so many envisioned him as. Whether or not Penn has the motivation to accomplish that goal is another matter entirely.
One of the few fighters in the modern era to have made his MMA debut in the UFC, Penn (10-4-1) had already garnered a name for himself in the jiu-jitsu world by becoming the first non-Brazilian to win a world championship at the black belt level. As Penn transitioned to MMA, word from training partners and coaches alike was that the precocious Hawaiian would turn the sport on its head.
Such lofty praise was met with skepticism by many as MMA's history is littered with can't miss prospects like Fernando Vasconcelos (Pictures) (2-2) and Royce Alger (3-2). The skeptics would soon be proven wrong however as within six months of making his MMA debut Penn had collected three wins in the UFC -- each before the completion of the opening round.
The easy success that marked Penn's start would prove to be difficult to repeat as the Hawaiian struggled in the UFC following his loss to Pulver. Penn's decision win over Matt Serra (Pictures) (9-4) at UFC 39 has been medically proven to be the cause of narcolepsy among MMA fans and an uninspired draw in his rematch with Caol Uno (Pictures) (23-9-4) left Penn in search of the intensity that once defined him as a fighter.
It turns out all Penn needed was a bit of home cooking. In front of a raucous Hawaiian crowd, Penn put on one of his best performances to date by dismantling Takanori Gomi (Pictures) in a lightweight fight at ROTR 4. That would mark the beginning of a spectacular run for Hawaii's favorite son.
An unexpected move up in weight befuddled the MMA community but Penn seemed unfazed by the prospect of taking on then UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (Pictures) (41-5). Penn's confidence proved to be justified as he choked out the seemingly unstoppable Hughes in the first round.
Much like Pulver, Penn quickly discovered that becoming a champion in the UFC isn't a guarantee that you'll be sticking around. Penn was stripped of the title after submitting Duane "Bang" Ludwig in K-1 and spent most of the next two years fighting for the K-1 promotion.
Penn's meteoric talent would languish in K-1 thanks their bizarre matchmaking and it wasn't long before the UFC was looking to bring Penn back into the fold. A grand return to the UFC was no more in the cards for Penn that it was for Pulver however, as Penn dropped a close split decision to Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) (13-2) and came up short in a rematch with Hughes.
For Penn, it is fitting that he return to the division that he seemed destined to bring into prominence. With the UFC finally having made a commitment to the lightweights, Penn could be the big name presence that the division is in search of. Unfortunately for Penn, Pulver isn't going to lay down for anybody, especially Penn.
Despite the fact that Pulver owns a win over Penn, not much can be learned from their initial encounter. Penn simply lacked the experience to keep up with Pulver in the championship rounds and Pulver comes into this fight having to prove that he is a relevant contender in the lightweight division.
To do so, Pulver will have to find a way to overcome Penn's improved stand-up and wrestling so he can use his disciplined boxing approach to corral Penn. Realistically, there isn't much reason to believe that Pulver will be able to manage the feat as Penn is basically MMA's version of an H.R. Giger painting.
Skilled in every facet of MMA, Penn is likely to come out looking to test Pulver's stand-up and that will be Pulver's time to make something happen. Pulver would be best served working behind his jab, avoiding the takedown and frustrating Penn into making a mistake where Pulver would be able to use his atomic left hook (somewhere, John Lewis' jaw just twinged) and if not KO Penn, at least discourage the Hawaiian from unloading his vast offensive arsenal on him.
Considering Pulver's recent performances in the lightweight division, it is far more likely that Penn's aforementioned offensive arsenal will prove to be too much for Pulver. Expect Penn to use the same game plan he used against Gomi, as he wears out Pulver using a surprisingly accurate hooking style before catching Pulver off guard with a shot.
Once this fight hits the ground, all hope for a Pulver victory will rapidly erode as Penn's elastic limbs snake their way past Pulver's guard and work towards a submission. Pulver may have been able to hold off the 21-year-old version of Penn on the ground but he'll find the task next to impossible against the fighter he'll face Saturday night. Penn takes this one via rear-naked choke late in the first round.
After the most intense high stakes ping-pong game in reality television history, B.J. Penn (Pictures) and Jens Pulver (Pictures) are looking to settle their score through more traditional means. Namely, by trading the verbal jabs for real ones.
It has been five and a half years since Pulver took home a majority decision win over Penn, who despite having only three professional bouts to his name at the time, entered the fight as the favorite. Feeling slighted by a perceived lack of respect from the media, fans and Penn himself, Pulver retained his UFC lightweight title thanks to a come from behind rally that dispelled the myth of Penn's invincibility.
Unfortunately for Pulver, taking out the UFC's lightweight poster boy didn't do much for his paycheck. Contract negotiations with the UFC broke down and the organization's first lightweight champion found himself in the unfamiliar position of being the MMA equivalent of a free agent.
Bouncing around from one organization to another proved to be a disaster for Pulver, who was upset in back-to-back fights by Duane "Bang" Ludwig (15-6) and Jason Maxwell (Pictures) (9-8). It wasn't until Pulver returned to his Midwest roots that he regained his bearings and was afforded an altogether unexpected opportunity.
Shooto, one of the premier destinations for sub-middleweight talent in the world, offered Pulver a chance to compete in the always competitive lightweight 143-pound division. The move down in weight proved to be a shrewd one for Pulver as he scored KO victories over Naoya Uematsu (Pictures) (14-7-2) and Stephen Palling (Pictures) (11-7-1).
Pulver's run through the featherweight division would not last long as plans for a match with Hiroyuki Takaya (Pictures) (7-4-1) in Shooto were scrapped in favor of a showdown with PRIDE ace Takanori Gomi (Pictures) (27-3). Pulver, a diminutive lightweight to begin with, was no match for the Gigantor that is Gomi, who handed Pulver another KO loss.
Despite notching knockout wins over Kenji Arai (Pictures) (10-11-2) and Tomomi Iwama (5-5-1), Pulver's time in PRIDE proved to be a disappointment as he was knocked out of their tournament in the first round by Hayato Sakurai (30-7-2). A brief foray in the International Fight League saw Pulver regain his winning form with a KO of Cole Escovedo (Pictures) (11-4) and with that, a long anticipated return to the UFC.
Matched up against up-and-coming lightweight prospect Joe Lauzon (Pictures) (14-3), Pulver entered the fight a huge favorite and left it with a bruised ego as Lauzon needed only 48 seconds to dispose of the former UFC champ. With Pulver collecting KO losses like Pac-Man Jones collects arrest warrants, one must wonder if Pulver, at 32 years of age, has already seen his best days.
No such questions surround Pulver's opponent, who enters this fight looking to take the first step towards becoming the dominant lightweight that so many envisioned him as. Whether or not Penn has the motivation to accomplish that goal is another matter entirely.
One of the few fighters in the modern era to have made his MMA debut in the UFC, Penn (10-4-1) had already garnered a name for himself in the jiu-jitsu world by becoming the first non-Brazilian to win a world championship at the black belt level. As Penn transitioned to MMA, word from training partners and coaches alike was that the precocious Hawaiian would turn the sport on its head.
Such lofty praise was met with skepticism by many as MMA's history is littered with can't miss prospects like Fernando Vasconcelos (Pictures) (2-2) and Royce Alger (3-2). The skeptics would soon be proven wrong however as within six months of making his MMA debut Penn had collected three wins in the UFC -- each before the completion of the opening round.
The easy success that marked Penn's start would prove to be difficult to repeat as the Hawaiian struggled in the UFC following his loss to Pulver. Penn's decision win over Matt Serra (Pictures) (9-4) at UFC 39 has been medically proven to be the cause of narcolepsy among MMA fans and an uninspired draw in his rematch with Caol Uno (Pictures) (23-9-4) left Penn in search of the intensity that once defined him as a fighter.
It turns out all Penn needed was a bit of home cooking. In front of a raucous Hawaiian crowd, Penn put on one of his best performances to date by dismantling Takanori Gomi (Pictures) in a lightweight fight at ROTR 4. That would mark the beginning of a spectacular run for Hawaii's favorite son.
An unexpected move up in weight befuddled the MMA community but Penn seemed unfazed by the prospect of taking on then UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes (Pictures) (41-5). Penn's confidence proved to be justified as he choked out the seemingly unstoppable Hughes in the first round.
Much like Pulver, Penn quickly discovered that becoming a champion in the UFC isn't a guarantee that you'll be sticking around. Penn was stripped of the title after submitting Duane "Bang" Ludwig in K-1 and spent most of the next two years fighting for the K-1 promotion.
Penn's meteoric talent would languish in K-1 thanks their bizarre matchmaking and it wasn't long before the UFC was looking to bring Penn back into the fold. A grand return to the UFC was no more in the cards for Penn that it was for Pulver however, as Penn dropped a close split decision to Georges St. Pierre (Pictures) (13-2) and came up short in a rematch with Hughes.
For Penn, it is fitting that he return to the division that he seemed destined to bring into prominence. With the UFC finally having made a commitment to the lightweights, Penn could be the big name presence that the division is in search of. Unfortunately for Penn, Pulver isn't going to lay down for anybody, especially Penn.
Despite the fact that Pulver owns a win over Penn, not much can be learned from their initial encounter. Penn simply lacked the experience to keep up with Pulver in the championship rounds and Pulver comes into this fight having to prove that he is a relevant contender in the lightweight division.
To do so, Pulver will have to find a way to overcome Penn's improved stand-up and wrestling so he can use his disciplined boxing approach to corral Penn. Realistically, there isn't much reason to believe that Pulver will be able to manage the feat as Penn is basically MMA's version of an H.R. Giger painting.
Skilled in every facet of MMA, Penn is likely to come out looking to test Pulver's stand-up and that will be Pulver's time to make something happen. Pulver would be best served working behind his jab, avoiding the takedown and frustrating Penn into making a mistake where Pulver would be able to use his atomic left hook (somewhere, John Lewis' jaw just twinged) and if not KO Penn, at least discourage the Hawaiian from unloading his vast offensive arsenal on him.
Considering Pulver's recent performances in the lightweight division, it is far more likely that Penn's aforementioned offensive arsenal will prove to be too much for Pulver. Expect Penn to use the same game plan he used against Gomi, as he wears out Pulver using a surprisingly accurate hooking style before catching Pulver off guard with a shot.
Once this fight hits the ground, all hope for a Pulver victory will rapidly erode as Penn's elastic limbs snake their way past Pulver's guard and work towards a submission. Pulver may have been able to hold off the 21-year-old version of Penn on the ground but he'll find the task next to impossible against the fighter he'll face Saturday night. Penn takes this one via rear-naked choke late in the first round.
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