WEC 41: Jens Pulver Loses, MMA Career Likely Over

By Michael David Smith - Lead Blogger

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Jens Pulver, the former UFC lightweight champion and longtime fan favorite, likely fought for the last time Sunday night at WEC 41 when he lasted less than a minute before being submitted by Josh Grispi.

Pulver, a featherweight who is one of the best small fighters in the history of the sport, has now lost six of his last seven fights -- and none of the losses was particularly close. At age 34, he simply doesn't have the same power and explosiveness that he had in his prime.

"It's tough," Pulver said afterward. "I started right here. I'm not going to be that guy who keeps saying I'm retiring, but I think I just ended in the same place I started. ... I'm not saying I'm done yet, but it's been incredible."

Pulver's fight in Sacramento was part of the undercard of WEC 41: Faber vs. Brown 2, a card that is considered to be the biggest in World Extreme Cagefighting history. It would be fitting for Pulver to have his swan song on national television in Sacramento.

The 20-year-old Grispi is a talented young fighter who improved to 13-1 in the fight, which was his first in 10 months. Grispi told the crowd in the cage afterward that he understood why they were cheering Pulver and booing him.

"I'd boo me too if I was fighting Jens," Grispi said. "I love the guy."

That echoes the sentiments of MMA fans across America.

Read More: jenspulver, joshgrispi, wec 41, wec41, Jens Pulver (MMA), Josh Grispi (MMA)

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