Bubba Jenkins and the MMA Learning Curve

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It can be difficult for a professional mixed martial artist to look at a loss as a positive, particularly one by submission in less than two minutes. However, Bubba Jenkins seems to have a handle on where he stands in the sport.

“I’m still a novice,” the 27-year-old told Sherdog.com. “I haven’t been to the deep rounds against an elite fighter or really been rocked. My experience in the cage is very short, especially since my first four or five fights were only one or two minutes apiece. I’m still picking up things I need to use to be successful. Being a wrestler, I know how to compete and dig deep when I need to, but there are some things wrestling can’t teach you that MMA can. I just have to learn them the hard way by putting in time in the cage.”

Jenkins will step into the Bellator MMA cage for the first time since his Jan. 16 submission defeat to former World Series of Fighting champion Georgi Karakhanyan, as he takes on journeyman Joe Wilk at Bellator 139 on Friday at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kan. Jenkins sees the Karakhanyan loss as part of his development.

“I look at it as a learning experience,” he said. “When you’re fighting somebody the caliber of [Karakhanyan], you can’t make a mistake like shooting with your neck just out there. He caught me, got the guillotine and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. There’s a learning curve for me, and I had to experience that. The fight didn’t turn out the way I wanted, but that’s what you learn from. I can’t be content to be a wrestler. I have to evolve into a full-fledged, all-around fighter. I can’t cry over that loss. I just have to learn from it and move on.”

The submission to Karakhanyan at Bellator 132 stopped a four-fight winning streak for Jenkins -- a run that had him on the brink of a title shot at 145 pounds. Instead, Karakhanyan choked him unconscious, earned his 10th win in 11 fights and was named the No. 1 contender for Patricio Freire’s featherweight championship. A two-time NCAA All-American wrestler who won a national title at Arizona State University in 2011, Jenkins finds himself back at square one. He sounds like a man willing to put in the work necessary to advance his career and eventually earn a crack at Freire’s gold.

Preparing for Wilk has allowed Jenkins to continue his evolution.

“Camp has been going great,” said Jenkins, who has delivered six finishes as part of his 8-2 record. “After I lost, I had some time to reflect and to look at my sparring and learn some new things. I’m getting more comfortable in the cage. I’m becoming an MMA fighter. I’ve been working a lot on my ground work and striking. It takes a lot of time to change into a completely new fighter. I’ve done this before in wrestling where it’s taken time to blossom and come into my own. When I do it in MMA, it’s going to be good.”

Even though he has lost four of his last five fights, the 33-year-old Wilk has some tools with which to test Jenkins. A veteran of 28 bouts, “The Nose” has fought professionally since 2007 and has only been to the judges’ scorecards once in his career. The ground game has been Wilk’s wheelhouse, with 15 of his 18 victories coming by way of submission.

“I feel like I’m just a little bit too much for him,” Jenkins said. “He’s never fought a guy like myself, especially with me coming off a loss. I’m going to be hungry. He’s lost some fights, too, but he has more pressure on him because he’s fighting at home. I’m hungry to get back into the winner’s circle and win.”

Due to Wilk’s prowess with submissions, fans can expect Jenkins to try and keep the fight upright.

“I’m wanting to showcase my hands,” he said. “I think in this fight, with him being dangerous on the ground, I’m going to be showcasing more of my hands and showing the rest of the division I’m coming. I’m not just a wrestler anymore.”

Bellator has featured a number of high-level featherweight fights of late, with Freire successfully defending his title against Daniel Weichel on June 19 and two-time champion Pat Curran booked to return against Roufusport prospect Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 139. Jenkins indicated an interest in facing any of the four but remains zeroed in on Wilk for now.

“I don’t have a problem fighting anybody in our division,” he said. “When my coaches and manager tell me I’m ready, I step up and fight. I’ve never denied anybody that’s come across my table. I’m not fearful of anybody. Honestly, I don’t know what a win can or can’t do for me. I just want to be prepared and be able to show off that I’ve had a good camp. I don’t mind fighting anybody in the future, but I haven’t looked at any matchups. My focus is [Wilk] and getting a win.”