Bubba Jenkins weighs in for a fight in Bellator. He makes his PFL debut on Friday.
Bubba Jenkins: “I used to beat Lance Palmer for a Big Mac and an orange soda!”
In line with the big signings, PFL and Bubba Jenkins are looking forward to a bright future together. Having signed with the promotion and Dominance MMA before the pandemic, Jenkins had great hopes coming into the 2020 season before COVID-19 pandemic. Now, he’s gearing up to take what he feels is rightfully his: the million dollars.
Check out the full podcast with Bubba Jenkins, Dylan Price, Alex Morono and Eryk Anders everywhere you get your podcasts.
The tournament and million dollars is a big reason why Bubba Jenkins signed with the PFL. Seeing an old adversary of his, Lance Palmer, do so well, Jenkins feels he has the chops to come in and disrupt Palmer’s dominance and make his claim at the belt. Among many things that caused Jenkins to sign with PFL, it was the tournament and Lance Palmer that drove him to the promotion.
“It’s the million dollars but it’s also who won the million dollars. I’ve been beating up Palmer since we were little. The fact that he’s got two million dollars off of the tournament is like, man, I used to beat him up for a Big Mac and an orange soda. Put a million on his head, he’s an easy look. It could have been $500,000, the fact that we’ve competed so many times is a great thing. I saw that he won it once, great, good job, man. Congratulations. Then he wins it again and it’s time out. Wait. They’re just giving him the money? What’s going on, why can nobody beat this guy?”
Now, Jenkins is ready to show the PFL that he is the rightful heir to their belt. When it comes to a hypothetical matchup with Palmer, Jenkins says he’s been there, done that. Notably, in the Big 10 championship, he downed palmer twice, defeating the current PFL champ. “I’ve done it a million times for free. Now we can add punches and kicks and athleticism, he got no chance against a boy like me. That’s just my feeling. We been friends for a long time and I would say it to his face. But, it’s going down. We done looked each other in the eyes many of times, many weigh ins. He knows it’s no different from what I’m saying.”
Bubba Jenkins and the PFL
Another big reason for signing with the PFL was the tournament format. Coming from the collegiate wrestling world, March is famous for the giant tournament crowning NCAA champions. Having won a Natty at Arizona State, the playoffs are a thing of beauty for Bubba Jenkins. It was part of his reason for going to Bellator originally and a big part of why he’s now with the PFL.
“Bellator had me on and I signed with them because they had that tournament bracket. It was not a lot of politics involved. You win this match and you know who you’re fighting. I like that king of the hill atmosphere and mindset. Then they got bought out and Coker came in and they changed the platform. I was on a win streak and never having my shot and they always wanted me to fight someone I already fought and not give me the opponents that I felt would advance me to a title shot. We left and we went and got tough. We developed how I want to develop.”
Jenkins also touts his experience. He’s been in the MMA game and has had his eyes set on it since before winning a national championship in wrestling. Now, he’s seeing the fruits of his labors and with the help of his manager, Ali Abdel-Aziz, he’s come to an agreement in the PFL that he is really excited about.
“You can’t google experience and you got to live that thing. I’ve been living this MMA thing since 2009-2010. I graduated college in Arizona State and won the National Championships in 2011. But, my mindset and transition for me, even going from Penn State to Arizona State was MMA based. It was where the hub of where west coast MMA was starting to come from as far as wrestlers. I signed with PFL. Me and Ali Abdel-Aziz is connecting me with so many people at PFL. He got me a really good deal and we’re going to make a lot of money. I’m going to be hurting people for what I’ve always done and I’m going to be getting bigger checks for it.”
Now, Jenkins is ready to get to work. With rumors of the PFL returning early 2021, he feels like he is owed something. He wants to get back his million he lost and looks forward to getting that million.
“I’d be on my way to a million. I feel like the COVID cost me a million. I lost a million dollars this year. A million dollars and a Madison Square Garden main event, that’s what I lost. I don’t want to hear from nobody else.”
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