Bubba Jenkins Has Target on Long-Time Rival Lance Palmer for PFL 2021 Season

Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the PFL and UFC on ESPN+ live on your computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the ESPN app.

Bubba Jenkins wants to end things with "The Party" once and for all.

In March, two-time All-American Jenkins (14-4) signed with the Professional Fighters League to compete in the 2020 season. At the time, Jenkins, who appears in Thursday’s edition of the YouTube series “Prep Point” with Lilian Garcia, was still the featherweight titleholder in the Brave Combat Federation. While talking to Sherdog, the Bellator MMA vet explained why he chose to relinquish the title and sign exclusively with PFL.

"The numbers for Brave didn't match," he said. "It was awesome, but, eventually, it is time to feed my family. I like those people, but I love my family. I like the people running the organization, the prince, [Mohammed] Shahid, and all the people they have over there. They were an amazing organization, they still are, and they still will be. Who knows what the future holds, but I do know that I needed more pay, and the PFL with the million-dollar tournament will allow me to rip some of those benefits in my prime, and that's what it is."

The one known as "I'm A Bad Man" will get the chance to debut under the PFL banner in the 2021 season. In his new promotion, Jenkins is already eyeing two-time king Lance Palmer (22-3). Both athletes know each other way before they started their MMA career since they competed in the same wrestling division when they were in high school.

"It started in high school when I won the Beast of the East at 145, and he won the Beast of the East at 140. A lot of people thought that he was going to win the Outstanding Wrestler, and I walked away with it hands down. I smashed my guy in the finals. I had a great performance throughout the tournament. And these are high school days, so who really cares, but I believe the rivalry started when he saw me walking away with that trophy. We had a good laugh about it, I mean, Palmer and I have been friends for a long time, but they got a million dollars on his head. I used to beat him for a Big Mac, an orange soda and a ride on the bus. The fact that they put a million on his head is another ding."