Athletes
Jack Jenkins | Finally Back And Ready To Break Out
Australian DWCS Alumnus Talks Extended Layoff, Charitable Efforts, Facing Sean Woodson
There are myriad factors that determine when, where, and how frequently a UFC athlete makes the walk to the Octagon, including the obvious ones like health, results, and the right matchup being available. For many of the non-U.S. competitors on the roster, proximity to their home nation is often part of the calculation, which can be a double-edged sword. Fighting close to home is often the main time friends and family can make the trip to watch an athlete compete, but if an event in your home country is on the calendar, there is a strong likelihood your next fight isn’t going to materialize until the Octagon touches down in your proverbial backyard once more.
Such has been the case for Jack Jenkins, who has been chomping at the bit to return to action since returning to the win column last September in Perth but has been stuck biding his time until now.
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“Fight week comes with its different ups and downs, but man, I’m just so happy to be here after coming off that injury which kept me out for nearly a full year by the time I got booked again,” began Jenkins, who faces off with Sean Woodson this weekend in Shanghai. “It’s a funny one because looking at me, it’s like, ‘Inactive; had an injury and needed a big layoff,’ but I’ve been ready since my last fight. I was trying to get a fight at the end of last year, couldn’t get one, and then they pushed me, led me to that May fight, and then one little mishap that left me out for three weeks cost me another six months in the end.”
Jenkins had been tapped to return in May against fellow Aussie Marwan Rahiki but suffered an injury just a few weeks prior to the contest, forcing him to the sidelines. He was ready to go again just a few weeks later, but the 32-year-old was booked for this weekend instead, which will stand as the second time he has competed in the Octagon outside of Australia.
Jack Jenkins: 'I'm Confident I Can Make This My Breakout Fight' | UFC Shanghai
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Jack Jenkins: 'I'm Confident I Can Make This My Breakout Fight' | UFC Shanghai
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“Things like that happen so often,” admitted Jenkins. “I don’t mind fighting in Australia, but I need to be a bit more regular. This is my job, my living; I need to be able to fight… But I’m absolutely happy to be here. Body is good, mental is good, and excited.”
The one upside of the extended time away for Jenkins has been the chance to focus on some important philanthropic efforts and carrying them over into his return to action.
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Last fall when he faced Ramon Taveras in Perth, the American missed weight and was forced to give Jenkins 20-percent of his purse. Jenkins, in turn, gave that money to Ronald McDonald House, which operates 18 houses throughout Australia, each connected to a major children’s or women’s hospital.
“When my opponent missed weight last time, I donated that money plus some money I’d made from selling some t-shirts and stuff to them,” Jenkins said. “When I went in and saw the facilities, the volunteers, and how important the work is, I thought, ‘If I can do anything for this, I’m going to.’”
What he decided on was giving people a chance to select his walkout song this weekend by making a donation and offering a song suggestion. It wasn’t a “biggest donation wins” situation, and some of his friends had a little fun with it, putting forth all sorts of inappropriate and unpickable tracks just for a laugh.
Ultimately, Jenkins made the draw for his song on Tuesday morning, landing on “Thunderstuck” by AC/DC, which several different people had suggested.
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“At the end of the day, it’s not any skin off my nose doing something like this and it gets people involved, people have fun,” he added. “I know Ronald McDonald (House) have been really grateful for it.”
With his entrance music selected, all that’s left to do is rock out on the way to the Octagon and finally get into an old-fashioned fistfight again for the first time in far too long, though it has been longer for his opponent.
While Jenkins has been raring to go since late September, Woodson hasn’t competed since last April at UFC 314 in Miami, where Dan Ige halted his seven-fight unbeaten streak. That contest is one Jenkins spent heaps of time reviewing as he prepares to fight his 6-foot-2 foe.
“I had to fly in a guy from Perth, from Jack Della (Maddalena)’s gym, to help me prepare just because I didn’t have anyone that tall,” Jenkins said. “I think that’s gonna pay fruit in the fight. I actually ran into Sean in the buffet at breakfast this morning, and yeah, he’s a tall guy — definitely a big fella — but we both gotta weigh the same to get in there and then come Saturday night, we’re both gonna be trying to take each other’s heads off, and I can reach that, I promise you.”
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Jenkins said he studied more tape for this fight than any of his previous matchups, and if all that film study pays off the way Jenkins envisions, this weekend won’t just be a return to action and another victory, it will be a coming out party for him.
“It’s gonna be huge; this is gonna be my breakout fight,” Jenkins said. “This is the start for me… You see different guys go through at different times: you get someone like a Quillan Salkilld who goes in and goes bang-bang and gets his breakout straight away. You get a Dan Hooker who takes a little bit longer to get his breakout. There’s so many different paths and when I got offered this fight, my only thought has been that this is my opportunity, this is my breakout.”
UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs Song took place live from Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China on August 29, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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