Titan Fighting 18 Results: Despite Loss, Jens Pulver Decries Detracters

Jens Pulver at WEC 34

Jens Pulver’s comeback hopes took another step back at Titan Fighting Championship 18 at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan., on Friday night, courtesy of Brian Davidson.

From the opening bell of the night’s headliner, Davidson was quicker to the punch and the kick, stinging Pulver with hard leg kicks. Pulver shot and scored the takedown on a few occasions, but was never able to capitalize when he had Davidson on the mat.

Late in the opening round, Pulver and Davidson once again hit the mat, but Davidson was able to take Pulver’s back, sinking a deep rear naked choke, leaving Pulver no choice but to tap out.

“It was his night. I’m not gonna sit here and say it wasn’t mine. He came out like an animal,” Pulver said after the fight, not making any excuses.

“(Yeah that) was the game plan; move, stay outside,” said Davidson. “It was an honor to fight Jens. I have a ton of respect for him.”

The loss was Pulver’s ninth in his last 12 bouts, which includes a six-fight skid that saw him forced out of World Extreme Cagefighting.

Fans and pundits alike have been calling for the 36-year-old to call it a career, but Pulver didn’t sound ready to leave his gloves on the mat just yet. In fact, he sounded a little tired of everyone else’s input.

“I know the fans out there (are saying) retire, retire, retire. The one thing I want to say about that is you don’t die for me,” he declared. “I die alone. At the end of the day, we die alone.

“I’m not gonna hang my head. I’m not gonna be 67 sitting in the rocking chair saying I wish I, could I have, maybe. I’ll retire when I want to.”

Jake Rosholt has been fighting to get back into the UFC ever since he was released from the promotion following a loss in November 2009. He was on a four-fight winning streak coming into Friday night, on the express train back to the Octagon.

Rosholt dominated John Ott for the totality of the fight, brutalizing him with an assault of cutting ground and pound elbows. Ott’s face was a macabre mess, a mask of blood, late into the third round. Rosholt was looking to put him away, but got overzealous and unleashed a knee to Ott’s head while he still had a knee planted on the mat.

The strike left Ott dazed and confused, unable to continue, but it was illegal, costing Rosholt the fight, and likely his ticket back to the UFC.

“Let me assure you it was not on purpose. His hands came up; I thought his knee came up. I went for the knee. I’m sorry to him. I’m sorry to the fans,” Rosholt in a postfight interview with HDNet’s Frank Trigg.

Rudy Bears was originally slated to face Rory Markham on this card, while Darryl Cobb was to fight Drew McFedries. When both of their opponents had to bail, Bears and Cobb ended up fighting one another.

The shift worked out much better for Bears. Both fighters got a good shot on the other, but it was Bears that dropped Cobb, softened him up with some harsh ground and pound, then finished him off with a rear naked choke in the opening round.

Jake Rosholt’s “little” brother, six-foot-two-inch and 259-pound Jared fared better than his older sibling. In just his third professional fight, Jared quickly put Kirk Grinlinton on the mat and ground and pounded him into a TKO stoppage a minute and half into the fight.

Titan Fighting Championship 18 Full Results:
-Brian Davidson def. Jens Pulver by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:04, R1
-John Ott def. Jake Rosholt by Disqualification (Illegal Knee) at 4:23, R3
-Rudy Bears def. Darryl Cobb by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:30, R1
-Jared Rosholt def. Kirk Grinlinton by TKO (Strikes) at 1:37, R1
-Bobby Cooper def. Nick Budig by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27), R3
-Joe Wilk def. Jesse Zeugin by Submission (D’arce Choke) at 3:36, R1
-Sean Wilson def. Deryck Ripley by Submission (Toe Hold) at 2:00, R1

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Ken Pishna is the managing editor of MMAWeekly.com.
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