Home Categories Miscellaneous Jens Pulver – Driven: A Story That Needs to Be Told
Jens Pulver – Driven: A Story That Needs to Be Told
Written by Jack Barrington   
Wednesday, 27 January 2010 15:15
Recently, on the FLD forums, I happened across a thread started by a new member, Gregory Bayne. In it, he explained how he was making a documentary that is still in need of funding, following former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver prior to his upcoming bout at WEC 47, with a chance to delve into his personal life and thoughts on his beginnings. His future fight with Javier Vazquez may well be his last, and it is fair to say that Jens’ career has fallen upon increasingly hard times of late, as he has lost his last four outings and been stopped in his last three. It is easy to dismiss his urge to further compete as ‘foolhardy’, or to stereotype him as just another fighter refusing to let go and acknowledge that his time has passed. Watching the short introduction clip to the documentary, however, makes such dismissals quickly pass.

The teaser trailer opens with Jens alone, running on a hardened dirt track, with the only present sound being that of him exhaling as he shadowboxes lightly. We then cut straight to Jens in the gym, directly addressing the camera as he explains exactly why he started fighting—to reclaim the name ‘Jens Pulver’ from his abusive father—and how, even right now, on the downside of his career, it is the first time he has had the chance to fight for himself and himself alone, none of us should or can begrudge him that right.

It is clear that Jens has had a captivating career. A natural featherweight, who not only captured the UFC lightweight title, but also defended it twice before vacating to move onto further challenges outside of the UFC. His second defense, against B.J. Penn at UFC 35, will surely go down in history as his finest performance, coming in as a heavy underdog, Jens endured a torrid start to the fight, only to emerge victorious over the greatest lightweight the sport has ever seen. Fans and critics alike all knew that Jens’ striking was his most dangerous asset, and he proved it by hurting Penn standing twice late in the contest. However, what most surprised almost 10,000 fans at the Mohegan Sun Arena on that cold January night, was Jens’ ability to deal with the former BJJ world champion on the ground. With his pace and his takedowns, Jens Pulver set the template for beating B.J. Penn that would go on to be used at higher weights by welterweight champions Matt Hughes and Georges St Pierre. Yes, Jens showed he was the better striker, and yes, he showed that he could nullify Penn’s guard for large portions of the fight, but what Jens Pulver really showcased to the world that night, was that this little scrappy lightweight had more heart than anybody else in his division—maybe any other division for that matter.

The highs he reached as champion, juxtapose harshly with the lows he overcame to get there. It is no secret that Jens experienced about as rough of a time growing up as most of us can imagine, and with no skeletons in his closet, he has made it clear that the majority of his career has been an attempt at overcoming such an austerely cruel beginning to life. This documentary now serves to project his captivating story, his will and desire to live his own life, in the best way that he can. As earnest a fighter as you will ever come across, Jens Pulver deserves his chance to tell his story, and Gregory Bayne’s Driven is the perfect platform for him. Words can only do so much though, so I encourage you to view Jens’ and Gregory’s own take on this documentary at Kickstarter.com, which will hopefully allow you to form your own opinion of this film, and maybe even your own attachment to it as I did.

It is easy to watch the introduction and simply want this film to be made, it is your responsibility to take the matter into your own hands, turn your enthusiasm into action and donate. Whatever you can, whether it is a dollar or ten thousand dollars, Jens has contributed his life to this sport and we as fans, now have the opportunity to return the favour.

Donate at Kickstarter.com now and help Jens Pulver – Driven, be made. This is a story that needs to be told, and we, as fans of this sport, can help to tell it.