Issue 089

June 2012

He might be a green 2-0 American Top Team lightweight, but the NCAA wrestling title under Jenkins’ belt says he goes a long way.

Your full name is Jesse Jenkins but you’re best known to everyone as Bubba. Where did the nickname come from?

“I was a 12lb baby. They just decided to nickname me Bubba; I was just a big old baby. Family and friends have called me Bubba ever since. Some people try to call me Jesse but I’m Jesse III and my dad was Jesse, who’s deceased now, and my grandpa was Jesse, who’s deceased now, so I’ll leave it in their honor and let them rest in peace with their Jesse name.”

For those who might not be aware, could you briefly explain your prior achievements in wrestling?

“I was the top recruit in the country coming out of high school, I was a two-time NCAA finalist, two-time division finalist as far as Big 10, then Pac 10, NCAA champion, junior world champion. If you look at it this way, I’ve won every tournament in wrestling except for the major worlds and the Olympics.”

Why did you choose to go into MMA straight after college and not the Olympics?

“Simply because I’d already won the junior world championship and I felt like I was the best in the world already at some point. I can tell my kids, ‘Hey, back in 2008 your dad was the best guy in the world at the weight class. I literally went to Beijing and competed for this title.’ The Olympics is the only thing I haven’t really completed. I felt like it was just that time, MMA was growing so quickly and I didn’t want to get behind in order to possibly compete for an Olympic title. I felt the situation with my wrestling ability and the fact I wanted to get into MMA worked better for me. I felt like that was a good route to take as far as using all of my athletic abilities.”

You’ve had two pro bouts now in Tachi Palace Fights, and though you’re used to wrestling in the NCAA finals in front of big crowds was it still nerve wracking competing in the cage for the first time?

“My first fight I was very nervous just because of the big following I knew I was going to deal with. I knew I had guys from all over the country and world trying to see how my transition from wrestling and being a national champ worked into MMA. I had told all my friends to check it out. I knew it was going to be on Sherdog so I knew the whole MMA world would be checking it out. In wrestling, there weren’t too many times where I didn’t know what was going to happen. Wrestling is a controlled situation; you can get out of bounds and come back to the middle and refocus. In MMA there’s only a couple of ways of getting out of that ring. That was something I thought about often. Once my second fight came around, I dealt with my nerves a little bit differently. It was much easier as far as preparation goes and walking out to the center of the cage. It was just an awesome feeling. I was too nervous, I think, for the first one. In this sport I’ve learned fear can be your best friend, and it can be your enemy.”

Have you always been competitive, even growing up?

“Oh yeah. My mom’s one of nine, my dad’s one of 11. I’ve got a lot of cousins and cousins of the family and friends of the family that we call cousins. We spent a lot of time around each other so we competed from who could brush their teeth the fastest, to who could jump off this picnic table and dunk the ball. It’s in my blood, it’s in everything we do, it’s literally what drives me. I love to compete. People were telling me to do other things [after college], ‘Use your degree.’ If I was to decide to do something else, ultimately it would bring me back to either wrestling or something competitive.”

For some fighters their goal is the UFC title, for others it’s not. What’s yours?

“My goal is to change lives. To me, I feel like anyone who puts on some MMA gloves, their ultimate goal would be to get to the highest level of that competition, which, I believe, is the UFC. That’s the top goal. Also, to change lives. Have a ‘Beat The Streets’ type of thing. In wrestling, it’s a non-profit organization for kids who are coming up like me who didn’t have the national champs and the celebrity athletes in their sport come and talk to the guys and things like that. I’m trying to build one of those things in my hometown. Just to change the perspective of big-money stars. I want to be down to earth, always talking to the fans, and them always being able to communicate with me. My ultimate goal is to make a lot of money, make it to the UFC and change lives.”