WEC Releases Pulver
Jake Rossen Jun 3, 2010
Jens
Pulver, 0-5 in recent outings, is a 36-year-old featherweight,
which is as unforgiving a situation as you’ll find in combat
sports. Speed is the price of admission at that size, and Pulver no
longer has it. He may or may not put together wins against
under-qualified competition in smaller shows; either way, his best
opportunities are probably behind a microphone.
That no longer appears to be an option, at least under the Zuffa umbrella: Pulver has been released from his WEC contract, which eliminates any potential to be a supporting broadcaster. In a statement online, Pulver suggested the UFC chose not to use him as a broadcaster because he once left the company to pursue more lucrative opportunities at a time when the promotion was treading water.
How sad. Zuffa -- and particularly its public mouth, Dana White -- have long taken something as clinical as business and made it personal. Despite sacrificing as much of his body as any of their athletes, he possesses nowhere near their level of financial security. For someone who contributed as much to their history as Pulver did -- including being their first lightweight champion -- a non-violent job opportunity would be the absolute least they could do.
It would hardly be charity: Pulver is actually a credible, well-spoken presence in the broadcast booth.
In the absence of a fighter’s union, the responsibility for caring for athletes after their athletic time is spent will continue to fall on the promotion. They may reject that idea, but there is a price to be paid for record profits and being an industry leader. And the price is helping to take care of the fighters who helped bring you that success.
That no longer appears to be an option, at least under the Zuffa umbrella: Pulver has been released from his WEC contract, which eliminates any potential to be a supporting broadcaster. In a statement online, Pulver suggested the UFC chose not to use him as a broadcaster because he once left the company to pursue more lucrative opportunities at a time when the promotion was treading water.
How sad. Zuffa -- and particularly its public mouth, Dana White -- have long taken something as clinical as business and made it personal. Despite sacrificing as much of his body as any of their athletes, he possesses nowhere near their level of financial security. For someone who contributed as much to their history as Pulver did -- including being their first lightweight champion -- a non-violent job opportunity would be the absolute least they could do.
It would hardly be charity: Pulver is actually a credible, well-spoken presence in the broadcast booth.
In the absence of a fighter’s union, the responsibility for caring for athletes after their athletic time is spent will continue to fall on the promotion. They may reject that idea, but there is a price to be paid for record profits and being an industry leader. And the price is helping to take care of the fighters who helped bring you that success.
