Beyond the Octagon: Jens Pulver & Bob Sapp Fall, Former IFL Champ Ryan Schultz Returns

In the main event of last Friday's Resurrection Fight Alliance show, Jens Pulver suffered a second-round TKO loss to Timothy Elliot. Following the fight's opening frame, the former UFC champ appeared uncharacteristically winded, and soon found himself backed against the cage. A flurry from Elliot, punctuated by a knee to the head, left Pulver crumpled on the mat. The cringe-worthy loss, which has many fans hoping for Pulver's retirement, is one of three recent heart-breakers for fans of the old school--former Pride FC and K-1 star Bob Sapp lost by TKO to Croatian Maro Perak this weekend, and only recently Don Frye came up short in a slug-fest with Ruben Villareal.

On the Resurrection Fight Alliance undercard, former WEC lightweight James Krause won his third straight, knocking out Mark Korzenowski in the first, and in a battle of Bellator veterans Jared Downing took a unanimous decision over Eric Marriott. The show also featured the returns of Justin McCully and Gilbert Yvel, each competing for the first time since their respective cuts from the UFC. Yvel, in his first light-heavyweight contest, topped Damian Dantibo by first-round TKO, while Justin McCully earned a TKO of his own (the first of his career) against Justin Grizzard.

Meanwhile, at Japan's Deep 56, middleweight champion Yuya Shirai outlasted KO-artist Taisuke Okuno en route to a unanimous decision win. Shirai has remained undefeated in the Deep promotion for three years. And in the night's co-main event, Doo Ho Choi, building on the momentum earned from his KO of Nobuhiro Obiya, made short work of one-time contender Mitsuhiro Ishida, picking up the TKO in a scant minute and a half.

In other action this weekend, Saturday night's Ring of Fire 41 saw WEC and UFC veteran Tyler Toner and former IFL lightweight champion Ryan Schultz make successful returns to competition.

Toner, who was cut from the UFC following a loss to Ian Loveland, has now won two straight since his departure from the Octagon. The win this weekend came by unanimous decision over Nick Macias. Earlier in the evening, Ryan Schultz snapped a three-fight losing streak with a tidy first-round submission victory over Angelo Duarte. After a six-fight tear through the IFL, which saw him take the lightweight belt from Chris Horodecki and defend the title twice before the organization dissolved, Schultz endured a trio of KO losses, prompting him to step away from competition. The bout with Duarte is his first in over two years.