There is certainly no love lost between PFL featherweights Chris Wade and Bubba Jenkins. And while Wade on Thursday told media outlets including Cageside Press that his current approach involved “respecting everyone while fearing no one,” Jenkins (19-6) clearly does not respect Wade as a person.
That might have something to do with an out-of-the-cage altercation between the pair last year, that was mentioned off-hand by Wade during his own media day appearance. Asked to provide some insight into what transpired, Jenkins opened up to reveal that Wade had caught him in his birthday suit while the pair were prepping to face other opponents last year.
“I was weighing in butt-ass naked, I went to grab my drawers. While I was bent over, he came to ask me questions,” Jenkins revealed. “And as a man, with ass in the air, you just don’t ask another man a question.”
It seems Wade broke that rule, which was enough to draw a harsh reaction from Bubba Jenkins. “So I turned around, I slapped him and I realized that I was about to bully him, but he had a look on his face that said he didn’t want smoke. But my drawers were already down, so I felt vulnerable. That’s why I slapped him while he was getting prepared for Lance Palmer and I was getting ready for Kyle Bochniak. He came out the bathroom while I was on the scale butt-ass naked trying to talk to me. You just don’t do that.”
“I don’t care who you are, I’m not about to answer a question with my ass in the air,” Jenkins added. “So I slapped him. I just thought it was a b*tch move that he did, so I gave him a b*tch slap.”
Jenkins has lost only to Wade and last year’s champion, Brendan Loughnane, since arriving in the PFL. He knows he’s close, but it won’t be those losses that push him to the next level.
“I’ve been to the finals, I’ve smelled the victory. I just need to keep being me and improving in the places that I feel I need [to], that me and Dewey [coach] are working on,” Jenkins stated.
“It has nothing to do with Loughnane, it had nothing to do with Wade, it has everything to do with my mentality and who I am in the cage.”
Watch the full PFL 1 2023 media day appearance by Bubba Jenkins above.