Bubba Jenkins: PFL Purchase of Bellator MMA a ‘Beautiful Thing’

Now that he’s firmly entrenched on the Professional Fighters League roster, Bubba Jenkins is all for the organization’s recent acquisition of Bellator MMA.

“I love it. It’s a beautiful thing,” Jenkins said during a PFL media day. “Anytime the PFL is doing anything and making news, making waves, I’m appreciative of the higher ups doing these things. Especially to strengthen the roster and get some other guys in here, some other pigs to hunt in the woods is a good thing for me, so I’m excited.”

Jenkins will lock horns with Chris Wade in a trilogy bout on the prelims of the PFL Championships card on Friday at The Anthem in Washington, D.C. The main card airs via pay-per-view on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, while prelims stream on ESPN+ beginning at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT.

Jenkins has more than a passing familiarity with Bellator. The 35-year-old Californian went 8-3 during an 11-bout stint with the promotion from 2013 to 2016, but he wasn’t especially happy with the activity level that he was allowed.

“There were a lot of Bellator fighters that was ducking and hiding behind management and hiding behind their little wave and their little train they were on,” Jenkins said. “Bellator was allowing them to stay out of the fights … and just put me on the side for six, seven months at a time.

“That’s one of the reasons I asked for my release. You’re not going to give me the fights that I want, you’re not going to give me the opponents that I want, you’re not going to give me anything that helps me go toward the championship, I’m going to ask for my release. Full circle, a table is made in the presence of your enemy, that’s what I’ve read before. I’m excited about the fact that they got to come see me because you know I’m the big bad wolf where I’m at.”

With PFL promising crossover matchups with Bellator in 2024, Jenkins might get the opportunity to face a few opponents he missed out on in previous years.

“There’s a couple names that I’m excited to see,” Jenkins said. “I’m not going to give y’all that yet. I want anticipation for the next interviews that I give.”