Last summer, Jack Jenkins was on a tear, before he experienced a tear of a very different kind that left him on the outside of the UFC featherweight division, looking in.
The all-action Australian earned his spot on the UFC roster with a strong performance, and a third-round finish, on Dana White’s Contender Series back in September 2022, and his first two fights went superbly.
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His Octagon debut came at UFC 284, where he defeated Don Shainis. Then he followed up that victory four months later with victory over Jamall Emmers. Those wins put Jenkins on a nine-fight streak that came to an unfortunate end when he suffered an injury TKO loss to Chepe Mariscal at UFC 293 last September.
The defeat – his first since 2018 – brought more than just disappointment, with a nasty elbow injury forcing him into surgery and putting him on the shelf for several months.
“Yeah, it was obviously a few months to get back,” Jenkins told UFC.com during a fight week conversation ahead of his Octagon return against Herbert Burns this weekend at UFC 305.
“I tore pretty much every tendon in my elbow, but it was the first serious injury I've had while fighting. And, if you're going to get one, the surgeon said it's not a bad one to get, because when it comes back, it comes back to 100 percent. You're not at a high risk of re-injury and that sort of thing.
“So I was really diligent with the rehab I did, the work I had to get done. I made sure that I ticked all the boxes before I came back to 100 percent training. And now I've been flying for the last six months, and I'm just keen to get back in there.”
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Jenkins couldn’t have asked for a more ideal set of circumstances to return to. The Aussie will make the walk to the Octagon this weekend in Perth, Australia, at the site of his UFC debut, where he experienced one of the biggest adrenaline rushes of his career to date.
“(I’m) pumped!” he said.
“I had my debut here, obviously, a couple years ago, and it was still, to this day, the best event that I've ever been a part of. So (I’m) just keen to get back and pick up where we left off last time.
“Obviously, the pop from the crowd when I walked out was pretty special. I had a lot of people in the crowd who said it was probably the second or third biggest (pop), behind Volk (Alexander Volkanovski) and Jack Della (Maddalena). You’ve got a hometown boy there, and then the champ, so you're in good company.”
With the familiar surroundings of the RAC Arena, and the home comforts of fighting in front of a packed crowd of passionate Australian fans, Jenkins is excited to get back to work as he looks to push his way towards the featherweight Top 15. But during his time off, he’s had the chance to assess his progress to date, and has identified areas for improvement, which he hopes to showcase this weekend.
“Looking back, I think I was really happy with my first three or four fights under the Zuffa banner, but there was definitely a lot of room to improve,” he explained.
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“And I think one of the big things is a little bit of complacency in the grappling, in the clinch, and just getting back to where I'm really good, which is on the feet and doing damage, instead of sort of letting the fight play out in front of me.
“So yeah, I think Herbert presents the perfect opportunity to show those things I've been working on.”
The matchup itself offers a clear contrast in fighting styles, with Jenkins’ striking-first approach likely to present the polar opposite to Burns’ seasoned jiu-jitsu skills. Jenkins is looking forward to the matchup, and says that he holds the aces where it matters most.
“He's a veteran, he's crafty, he's been around a long time,” he said.
"I don't think it's going to be too surprising what either of us want to do. I don't think people expect me to go out and shoot and turn this into a jiu-jitsu match, nor do I think Herbert's going to want to keep it on the feet and strike with me.
“So, we'll go there, we’ll both try and impose our gameplans, but I think I'm just going to be too fast, too strong, and, at the end of the day, the further the fight goes, the better it bodes for me.”
Jenkins’ nickname, “Phar,” comes from a legendary Australian racehorse from the 1930s, Phar Lap, who won a host of big races during his career, including the Melbourne Cup. Jenkins’ staying power was likened to that of the legendary gelding, and as a huge horse racing fan, he’s proudly carried the name ever since.
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His love for racing goes beyond mere fandom, too. He’d even spent the morning at Belmont Racecourse before sitting down to chat about his upcoming fight. It’s a lifelong passion, and one that he’s invested his own money into, as he explained.
“My nana took me to our local race course, which is called Moonee Valley, when I was a kid, and she loved horse racing and that sort of came through to me,” he said.
“I worked in high school work experience as a stable hand at a farm, shoveling horse poo out of out of the stables, and strapping horses. And obviously, with a lack of time while I was getting into the UFC and fighting, I couldn't really be involved. But since getting into the UFC, I have a little bit more time on my hands, because I can focus fully on training.
"So in those little gaps in between training, I get to be a little bit more involved in the sport. And, I've got a horse now who's third favorite for one of the biggest races in the country.
“It’s called Epimeles. It means ‘The diligent.’ You should see how good it sounds when it's running past the post as a winner!”
And while being a winner is exactly what Jenkins intends to be on Saturday night, simply picking up the victory won’t be enough for the 31-year-old Victorian.
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“I’m not going to be happy with anything this weekend other than a performance that gets all of the momentum back that I had going into that fight (against Mariscal) in Sydney,” he explained.
“I’m not interested in coming and just getting a win that's going to tick the box and get me moving along. I want to come back, and I want to get back that momentum that I lost.
“There's no timeline outside of August 18 in Perth. I don't look an hour past it. I won't look a day past it. Herbert's in front of me. And when we tick that box and make a really big statement, then I'll decide what to do next.”
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya took place live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia on August 17, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
