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Jack Jenkins Knows The Blueprint To Greatness
Rising Featherweight Prospect Jack Jenkins Looks To Deliver His Best Performance To Date When He Faces Chepe Mariscal At UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland
Earlier this year, Australian featherweight Jack Jenkins made his UFC debut at UFC 284 in Perth. As he stood in the tunnel before his walk to the Octagon, he felt the nerves. Then he stepped through the gate and that feeling disappeared.
The 30-year-old soaked in the crowd. He heard the screams and saw the fans on their feet and, in that moment, Jenkins knew that the UFC is exactly where he belongs.
How To Watch UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland In Your Country
“Every single sacrifice that I’d made to get there, every single meal I’d skipped, every single time that I’d been on the road running at night and that sort of stuff, it was instantly worth it in that moment,” Jenkins told UFC.com. “But it wasn’t like, ‘I’m happy to be here, we’ll just see what happens.’ It was like, ‘Now you’re here, you’ve got more work to do.’ It was really gratifying for me to get there and do it under the UFC banner.”
Jenkins went on to deliver a dominant decision win over Don Shanis and announce his presence as one of the rising prospects at 145 pounds.
Showing out on such a big stage was an impressive way for “Phar Jack” to make his debut, but that’s how he expected to perform despite the magnitude of the moment. For the win, Jenkins gave himself a B+ grade for the win over Shanis and he hoped to build on that going into his second trip to the Octagon.
His sophomore UFC appearance came a few months later against tough veteran Jamall Emmers in Jacksonville, Florida.
Adesanya vs Strickland Stats Breakdown | Order UFC 293
Nothing about the fight week or the fight came easy for Jenkins. He didn’t get his VISA until 10 days before the fight, so he had a late start making the trip to Florida and acclimating to the time switch. In the fight itself, Emmers tested Jenkins for all 15 minutes of their bout, pushing the contest to the judges’ scorecards.
The judges declared Jenkins the winner by split decision.
“It didn’t go great, to be honest,” Jenkins said. “Even though I didn’t have time to adjust, and we were still short on getting properly ready, I’m happy that I was able to perform and get the win.
“It wasn’t a dominant performance by any stretch of the imagination, but I also think Jamall is very good, so that win goes under the radar a little bit because he’s very good.”
UFC 293 Fight-By-Fight Breakdown
Jenkins wasn’t thrilled with how close the fight with Emmers was, but he chalked up the learning experience as a C grade performance.
“With a B+ grade in Perth and in Jacksonville a C, I’m just passing. I wouldn’t go raving about that in terms of comparing it to how I know I can perform,” Jenkins said. “The big thing for this fight for me going forward is that I can sit here and tell you that I’m capable of more but, at the end of the day, I just have to show it. There will be no more pontificating about the fact that I’m top 10 ready; it’s just time for me to show it now.”
Jenkins plans to make that statement loud and clear this weekend when he faces Chepe Mariscal at UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland in Sydney, Australia. Beating Mariscal, who defeated Trevor Peek in his debut, would be the perfect way to prove that he’s not just a prospect – he’s got his foot on the gas, and he’s dialed in on reaching the top.
That mentality comes from watching the likes of middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who is headlining UFC 293, and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, who headlined UFC 284 when Jenkins made his debut.
UFC 293 Embedded | All Episodes
Both Adesanya and Volkanovski achieved success from the same part of the world that Jenkins comes from. And they didn’t rush into the UFC; they joined the promotion when they were about to hit their prime, and once they did, there was no looking back.
That’s the blueprint on Jenkins’ mind, and he believes outclassing someone like Mariscal is the next step on his path to the featherweight rankings.
“You’re going to get a fight that is very one-sided,” Jenkins said. “I’m going to keep him at range; the car crash is going to come, right? That’s what he wants at the start. He wants to create a bit of a car crash and make it tired so that being sloppy isn’t necessarily a disadvantage for him because it’s just about heart and gritting it out; that’s what he’s really good at. So, I’m intent on not letting that happen. I’m going to keep the range use my kicks, use my jab, keep him on the outside and once he's slowed down a bit and that car crash has passed, I’m going to pick him apart.
“Everybody is going to say that “Phar” Jack is top 15 ready now.”
UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland took place live from Qudos Arena in Sydney, Australia on September 9, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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