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“Lil’ Evil” and the “California Kid”
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I’m hyped for the Urijah Faber-Jens Pulver title fight this Sunday night. So hyped, I trolled through the roller coaster that is the Jens Pulver legacy.
I watched tape after tape on Urijah Faber. I compared their styles, strengths, and weaknesses. I poured over UFC.com, saw that they have coined this the “biggest fight in WEC history,” and what did it get me? One hell of a featherweight fight on paper that could end as quickly as it begins.
Fight fans truly know (I hope) how this game works. In MMA, at any given moment, in any given weight class, a bout can end abruptly.
Say “Lil’ Evil” tags Faber with that brick of a left of his. The fight is over, Urijah’s reign is silenced, and the featherweight belt is on a plane back to Bettendorf.
But say the “California Kid” barrels through Jens like a Santa Ana wind and reaffirms his supremacy atop the WEC’s 145-pound division.
Truth is, I wish this matchup were as clear cut as that, just as I wish combat sports were as decisive on paper as the feeling in my gut.
But the rumbling in my stomach is what I often put my money on.
Jens Pulver has impressed me over the years with his tenacity and skill. He is as much a motivation on the mat as he was a coach on “TUF 5.” He will go down in UFC history as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in his class.
But now he’s in the WEC and standing in the crosshairs of one of the most explosive fighters MMA has seen.
Urijah Faber is a bull in the cage. He never takes a fight lightly. His athleticism, work ethic, flexibility, power, and will to win are rivaled by few in the sport.
In fact, the last time I can truly recall a fighter with Faber’s raw power and speed was moons ago in the great Marco “The King of the Streets” Ruas.
Keys to Victory
Styles make fights. The trouble with Faber-Pulver is that both are world-class wrestlers—and both bank on it. Pulver does, however, foster a solid boxing background and he can crush once he’s on his hips and firing.
Faber, on the other hand, is the quicker man. He keeps a low center of gravity when standing and he works fairly well off the jab. But this fight will most likely be won on the ground.
Pulver has adamantly voiced his desire to showcase his wrestling skills in this fight. And unless he’s baiting us with false tactics, he’ll look to force Faber to the mat and pound his way to a submission win. He’s by far the more experienced fighter; he’s fought the tougher competitors, and he’s the better striker. I highly doubt Faber will want to keep the fight standing.
Their take-down defenses are both impressive, but I think Faber is the more physical ground-and-pound specimen. When the fight heads to the mat, Pulver will find himself in a precarious situation. I see Urijah pounding out a stoppage or pulverizing Pulver to the point that he slips in a submission win.
If you’re looking toward past fights to stack the coins in your favor, good luck. Pulver’s highly anticipated rematch with B.J. Penn was less than spectacular. Pulver looked soft and winded by the second round. He lost on a weakly defended rear naked choke.
Pulver’s debut bout in the WEC vs. Cub Swanson was also a snoozer. Pulver won via anaconda choke in 35 quick seconds. If anything, that fight displayed the difference between a UFC-caliber fighter and a World Extreme fighter.
Faber’s stoppage of a tough Jeff Curran at WEC 31 was an impressive victory. But truth be told, Curran is no “Lil’ Evil.”
It’s a tough fight to call. Pulver’s conditioning will be a factor should the fight wane into later rounds…but I don’t see this fight lasting long enough for fitness to matter.
When the cage doors open and this fight is all said and done, I see Faber’s hand being raised for the 21st time in his career. But this is a two-round title fight (tops), so just as the TV promos instruct—“Don’t Blink.”
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