Signing with the Professional Fighters League in 2021, Bubba Jenkins has been close to reaching the top of the mountain. "Bad Man" has fallen short twice but insists that he has grown from these experiences and will show it at PFL 7.
Jenkins is 2-0 this season, advancing to the semi-finals for the third straight year. He faces Jesus Pinedo at the PFL Playoffs on August 4. The fight takes place at the Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas, and airs on ESPN+ in the U.S. and DAZN in the U.K.
In 2021, Chris Wade beat Jenkins in the semi-finals. He rebounded in 2022, only to lose against Brendan Loughnane in the finals. A groin strike by Loughnane halted the action temporarily and added to the damage Wade had already sustained. Eventually, Loughnane won the bout via TKO.
Jenkins stormed back in 2023, beating Wade and submitting Sung Bin Jo. Some see his hot streak as part of a revenge tour. He isn't seeing it that way.
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"I personally dropped one of the hardest quotes at the beginning: I’m not looking for revenge, I’m looking for correction. I was looking to correct my wrongs,” Jenkins told The Sporting News. “Last year, I felt I let $1 million and a world championship slip away. Although, I give all the credit to Brendan Loughnane: On that night, he took a championship and won it, but in my eyes, had I been the better fighter, had I not been emotional, dealing with outside things… everyone else could say what they want about what happened in the fight, I felt, as the champion that I am, I let $1 million slip away. If I was more on cue in certain moments that night, I might've been the champion.
“This year, I felt I would correct some of those emotional outbursts, immaturities, and lack of IQ during the heat of the moment-type of advances. I studied and corrected them during the offseason. People are calling it the 'Revenge Tour' because of what I did to Chris Wade in the kickoff this year. It got corrected. I was correcting that wrong. I’m correcting the wrongs of not being prepared, mixing preparation with celebration, who I need to be in and out of the cage. This ain’t nothing to do with revenge because the Lord covers me. It is a year of correction."
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The 35-year-old Jenkins is a multi-time medalist in wrestling and an NCAA Division I champion. Turning pro in 2011, he has fought within Bellator and Brave, winning the Brave CF featherweight title in 2018. With the PFL, he has found a home welcoming to his skills and faith.
Jenkins told The Sporting News that he did not go back to watch the Loughnane fight, but he thinks about it. From entering the cage, to how he felt following the leg kicks Loughnane landed, to the groin strike that affected his mindset, Jenkins hinted at emotional and physical chaos. He compared these moments of reflection to "putting water in what was already a flooded yacht."
The 35-year-old Jenkins has analyzed and corrected those thoughts, using tunnel vision to be locked in.
Still determined to avenge the Loughnane loss, Jenkins will have to wait until next season. His opponent, Pinedo, beat Loughnane in one of the biggest upsets of the year to advance. Calling himself "a rising zombie" coming back with a stronger heartbeat, Jenkins is focused on the tournament this year, but he isn't forgetting about the Loughnane loss.
“I want my lick back, for sure. Don’t ever think you can kick on me, beat on me, and come out of there with a win. I’m going to want that back,” Jenkins said about Loughnane. “Trust me and believe, we got to run that back. I got to get that back as a warrior and a champion, as everything that I stand for. Being the last man standing in the tournament, with the style of the PFL, availability is the best ability. I’ve been available and able for all of my fights. Even though I checked out on the earlier Chris Wade fight, I didn’t show up in the most prepared state of mind or the right physical state. I have always been available, [and] have always shown up.
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“Check my gangster when it comes to not wanting that Loughnane fight again. He definitely got to see me when it comes to those leg kicks and that ability to get that dub back. When it comes to setting my family apart and feeding my children, looking in their eyes and knowing they have a multiple-time champion as a father, a millionaire, someone they could be proud to talk to about, even though they already are. That’s something I want for the inheritance of my children.”
Since 2018, the PFL has given fighters an opportunity to win gold and $1 million. The tournament format is unique in that fighters fight multiple times a year. Some fighters go through six to eight-week turnarounds. It can be draining to some, but it can also be rewarding given what's on the line.
Now considered a veteran within the promotion, Jenkins applauded the PFL for the opportunity it has provided him and other fighters. He believes the unique format, similar to that of the four major sports in the U.S., is here to stay.
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"It’s an awesome thing to be a part of, once you understand it," Jenkins said. "Sometimes you sit down and look at the PFL, and there are a lot of numbers on your screen. Once you understand that it is the Professional Fighters League, you got to get points like all the rest of the people to get into the playoffs, the championship, like the rest of the sports. Every year, they crown a champion like every other sport instead of crowning a champion every other event. We should do it like all the other professional leagues. There’s a regular season, a point system, a playoff, win or go home, then there’s a champion of that year.
"Next year, you do it all over again with some of the people you were hoping to see fight last year, or there are some new faces… this guy drafted a new wrestling skill and coach, and as a team, they look better. It’s the Professionals in the Fighters League. People are getting attached to it.”