Former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver reflects on coaching TUF opposite rival B.J. Penn: Exclusive

Jens Pulver reflected on his experience coaching opposite his rival B.J. Penn on season 5 of The Ultimate Fighter.

During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Pulver described what it was like being around his rival throughout the filming process, especially knowing that they would be fighting on the TUF season 5 finale.

Despite defeating Penn in their first encounter in the octagon, Pulver mentioned that the former two-division UFC champion had an advantage. He said:

"He had the upper hand in this even though I beat him. Because he had this secret weapon. I got beat by Joe Lauzon, and so I got knocked out by Joe Lauzon and here he is on the show. And B.J.'s like, 'Raise you hand if you want nothing to do with Jens.' I'm like, 'They're all gonna raise their hand, I got knocked out by a kid that's actually on the damn show." [12:57 - 13:17]

The soon-to-be UFC Hall of Famer noted that it's understandable why the fighters would side with 'The Prodigy.' According to him, this is because of the perception that a young fighter on the cast is already superior to him.

He also mentioned that Joe Lauzon competing on season 5 of TUF outweighed the advantage he had with his win over Penn five years prior, saying:

"He had that little advantage. When they brought in Joe Lauzon, I was like, 'F*ck.' You know what I mean, that trumped that fact that I beat B.J. because this is the most recent thing that happened. B.J.'s kicking a** and Joe Lauzon catches me and knocks me out. And I was like, 'I don't belong here.' [13:31 - 13:48]

Despite the mind games, two of Pulver's fighters, Nate Diaz and Manny Gamburyan, advanced to the finals, which the former won via second-round submission.

Check out the full video below:

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Jens Pulver shares his thoughts on Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo

Jens Pulver also shared his thoughts on the upcoming UFC 288 main event, which will see Aljamain Sterling defend his bantamweight championship against the returning Henry Cejudo.

It's a highly anticipated fight as fans are curious to see whether 'Triple C' can regain the title he relinquished when he announced his retirement three years ago.

During the aforementioned interview, 'Lil' Evil' mentioned that Cejudo never losing the title could affect Sterling's mindset going in. He said:

"You can try to tell yourself that you're champ but you know in the back of your mind the real champ is right here. You beat him and then obviously...you're the GOAT at [1]35[lbs]." [22:55 - 23:04]