Athletes
Jack Jenkins And His Secret Weapon
Australian Featherweight Jack Jenkins Has Been The Beneficiary Of An Unlikely Source Of Advice, And They’ll Try To Go 3-for-3 At UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Topuria
A UFC fighter is bound to have random people in their DMs at any point. Whether it’s a fan, a hater or somewhere in between, the life of a fighter – or any high-level athlete, honestly – includes interacting with people online. Some treat it as a chore. Others, a distraction. Sometimes, though, the Internet can create some otherwise impossible means of connection.
For Ben P, a young Australian man who calls him a “hardcore fan since 2018,” he took to Instagram in hopes of helping fellow-Aussie Jack Jenkins ahead of his Contender Series bout in September 2022 against Emiliano Linares. Ben watched each of Linares’ fights and parsed through various websites to find out how Linares lost via doctor stoppage in December 2020.
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It was quite a lot of work to help someone who didn’t know he existed, but it was just as much to snuff out his own worries for his countryman.
“I have a very big Aussie bias,” Ben P told UFC.com over the phone. “Anytime an Australian has a fight, I feel the need to try to make myself feel more comfortable with how they're going to do if I intervene a little bit.”
Eventually, he found a photo of the cut, sent it to Jenkins with a tip to hit his opponent here to open them up. Having previously reached out to fighters without any response, he wasn’t expecting anything to come of it. This time, however, he promptly got a reply from “Phar Jack”.
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“You are a legit investigator,” Jenkins replied.
But when Jenkins got Linares down to the canvas in the second round of their fight, he took a moment, remembered Ben P’s advice, and ripped a few elbows to the right side of Linares’ face. Suddenly, Linares was opened up badly and started leaking blood across the canvas in the UFC APEX. Jenkins would get the TKO stoppage a round later.
Jenkins gave Ben P his flowers afterward in a handful of interviews, and when Jenkins was booked for his UFC debut against Don Shainis in Perth at UFC 284, the two made plans to meet up.
“I was nervous,” Ben P recalled. “I'm just pacing outside the front of the hotel, nervously waiting to meet this guy I've been talking to, and then he comes out, and the first thing he says is ‘Benny P?’ Then, he just — you know when you go for a high five and you turn into like a hug sort of thing? He goes in for that. It was like we had met before.”
Photo Gallery | Jack Jenkins Trains For UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Topuria
Of course, Ben P wasn’t just going to drink in the moment of meeting a UFC fighter. He had once again done a deep dive on Jenkins’ opponent, and he made sure to give a couple notes to Jenkins once again.
After the two took a photo to mark the occasion, Ben P gave Jenkins the download.
“He let me know, ‘Hey, when (Shanis) comes in and clinches, he just throws body shots, so you can rip knees off and elbows,’” Jenkins told UFC.com after the fight. “I don’t know if you saw the first round, but he came into the clinch, and I just started ripping knees. Ben P was right on the money again.”
Jack Jenkins Post-Fight Interview | UFC 284
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Jack Jenkins Post-Fight Interview | UFC 284
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Jenkins has found himself a secret weapon of sorts.
Granted, Jenkins and his coaches have a solid handle on things, but for someone who has only done about a year-plus of wrestling, Muay Thai and kickboxing, Ben P is doing pretty well for himself.
“I don't know if I could make a career out of (fighting),” Ben P said. “But I would like to compete at least once, just so I can say I've done it.”
WATCH: Jack Jenkins Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Topuria
Naturally, with Jenkins coming up on his sophomore appearance in the Octagon, Ben P started researching Jamall Emmers, and, well, you know the drill. Coincidentally, the advice – which shall remain under wraps for the time being – is actually something Jenkins and his coaches had keyed on themselves, according to Ben P.
Once might be a fluke, twice could be a coincidence, but should everything go Jenkins’ way at UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Topuria, there might a real trend in the making.
MMA fandom — there’s nothing like it. For now, Ben P is just fine helping out where he can. He is considering booking a real fight at some point down the road, but he doesn’t see the fighter’s life for himself any time soon.
UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Topuria took place live from the Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on June 24, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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