Bubba Jenkins is unfazed by the challenge of taking on two-time PFL featherweight champion Lance Palmer right off the bat.
Jenkins (14-4 MMA, 0-0 PFL) meets two-time tournament winner Palmer (22-3 MMA, 11-0 PFL) on the main card of PFL 2021, Week 1 on April 23, an event that airs on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.
The standout wrestlers share history. Jenkins, a 2011 NCAA Division I wrestling champ, got the best of Palmer on the wrestling mats on multiple occasions at the Big Ten Championships and thinks that gives him a mental edge heading into their matchup.
“Damn right; I’m in his bag, and I’m in his head,” Jenkins told MMA Junkie. “Period. It’s my season, and to be the champ, you gotta beat the champ.”
The outspoken Jenkins oozes charisma. Not one to mince words, Jenkins had an emphatic prediction of how he sees his fight playing out with Palmer, who’s unbeaten in the PFL and has won his past 11 straight.
“Second-round knockout,” Jenkins said. “I’m his doctor. I’m going to check his symptoms, diagnose him accordingly, then prescribe him some sleepy meds.”
Jenkins hasn’t competed since June 2019. The former BRAVE CF featherweight champ was last seen in action when he ran through ex-UFC fighter Lucas Martins in the first round to defend his title. On fight night, it will have been almost two years since Jenkins made the walk to the cage, but he doesn’t expect the time off to have an impact on his performance.
“The Lord preserves them who trust in Him; my wings are renewed as those of an eagle,” Jenkins said. “Layoffs don’t exist (to) a mind that’s always working to be better.”
Bubba Jenkins on drawing Lance Palmer first: ‘To be the champ, you gotta beat the champ’
