Athletes
Jack Jenkins Is Ready To Play A Starring Role
Jack Jenkins Has Been A Rising Star Of Australian MMA For The Past Couple Years. Now He Says The Time Has Come To Kick Things Up A Gear And Become A Serious Contender At 145 Pounds
Melbourne’s Jack Jenkins has been part of Australian MMA’s supporting cast in his UFC bouts to date. But now, following his resounding bounce back victory at UFC 305, “Phar” Jack is ready to become one of Aussie MMA’s main men in 2025.
Jenkins’ victory over Herbert Burns in Perth last August was a hugely important one for the 31-year-old, who was desperate to regain the momentum he lost after his injury-induced TKO loss to Chepe Mariscal at UFC 293 a year earlier.
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And, as he checked in with UFC.com ahead of his upcoming bout with Gabriel Santos at UFC 312, Jenkins said it was mission accomplished as he not only won, but also delivered the sort of performance he felt he needed to pick up where he’d left off prior to the Mariscal fight.
“Yeah, the win in Perth was unbelievable,” he said.
“I said before that fight that the only way I would be happy with an outcome of that fight was if I regained all the momentum that I'd lost in the Chepe Mariscal fight. And I think people universally agreed that I had done that. So now we're here to keep going forward.”
The win over Burns also laid to rest any lingering concerns over his repaired elbow, which had suffered major tendon damage in his loss to Mariscal. But now, having gone through the Burns fight, Jenkins said he’s back to 100 percent once again.
“Health-wise, I'm in great shape,” he stated.
“I’ve been pretty good my whole career. I've just taken things in my stride. So as soon as the surgeon told me that my elbow was going to make a full recovery, then every day, I was just taking it in my stride and keeping going.”
Jenkins will close out the preliminary card in what looks set to be an all-action featherweight bout with Brazil’s Gabriel Santos. It’s a matchup that Jenkins is clearly relishing, as he prepares to face a fighter he believes is worthy of a place in the 145-pound rankings.
“Gabriel is a top 10 talent without the number next to his name,” he said.
“I think he beat Lerone Murphy on paper, a split decision. It was a really close fight, and Lerone Murphy's ranked number eight. I think I'm a Top 10 guy without the number next to my name, so it's a chance for both of us to go out there and actually put the number there, rather than working your way up.
"Gabriel is aggressive. He comes forward in the striking and in the grappling. He does not rest. He has a high work rate, always throwing his hips around trying to look for submissions, so I'm expecting exactly that from him.
“I just think that every minute the fight goes on, he's going to suit me better, and once I've got my reads, I'm going to be able to put him out.”
Jenkins is one of seven Aussies on the UFC 312 card this weekend. And, with some of the region’s most recognizable names absent from the bout sheet for this event, Jenkins wants to step up and announce himself as one of the new generation of stars to take the region’s hopes forward in 2025 and beyond.
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"I think we're missing a few big names on this card that have always been there,” he said.
“I had a great performance against Herbert, but (Dan) Hooker probably had a better performance, and Kai Kara-France probably had a better performance, and then obviously the main event fights. Whereas with this card, I've got a chance to step into the hole that is there from those guys not being on the card, fill that void and be the next star coming out of this region. So that's what I want to do.
“I want to stamp myself as one of those household names, the next guy who's here and going to be a contender.
“I know we have a joke about me getting rid of the mullet, but if the mullet could symbolize anything for me, it's that I'm not a new kid on the block enjoying the ride anymore. I'm here to be a serious contender.”
Jenkins won’t be alone, though. He’ll get to share the card with fellow Melbourne natives Jake Matthews and Jimmy Crute. The trio used to share the mats at former UFC middleweight Dan Kelly’s Resilience Training Centre in Melbourne, and now they’ll share the same fight card as they bid to notch a hat trick of home wins for the Australian fans.
“We were all sort of young, early 20s, and we're all training together at Resilience, all at the same gym.
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"Just to give people an idea, I used to spar Jake and Jimmy – welterweights and light heavyweights – just because of the lack of numbers back in the day, whereas now I don't do a round with anyone over lightweight, really.
“So, to be on the card with them is pretty special, because we've come up through it together. And, yeah, it's exciting to fight anytime you fight in Australia.”
One fight in Jacksonville aside, all of Jenkins’ UFC assignments have been on Australian soil. Despite relishing every opportunity to compete in front of his own fans, he admitted that he’d love to check off a couple of international boxes by fighting at Madison Square Garden, as well as at an event in Texas.
Jack Jenkins Fight Week Interview | UFC 312
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Jack Jenkins Fight Week Interview | UFC 312
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But there’s one city he wants to fight in more than any other on the planet, and it’s the city he calls home.
“My number one is to go to Melbourne. And I really believe that if I have a really big year this year – which I'm planning on doing, which starts against Gabriel Santos – that I can get the Victorian government and the UFC in a room, and we can put on a show at Rod Laver Arena with me as the main or co-main event.
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“So, 2025 for me, we're going to get a win here, then we will be back up in either June or July in Vegas, maybe International Fight Week, on the card there, (then) finish the year with a resounding win inside the Top 10. And then, like I said, hopefully we can get the Victorian government to play ball with the UFC, and we can come back to Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne.”
UFC 312: Du Plessis vs Strickland 2 took place live from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia on February 8, 2024. 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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