Over the past three years, messages had trickled to Jenkins that Coker’s team didn’t like his wrestling-based style. Under the new management, which included matchmaker Rich Chou and Mike Kogan, he said, it seemed like he was always struggling to get someone on the phone.
Bellator told him to call out opponents and talk more smack when he got matched up. So he went after the now-deceased Jordan Parsons online, pushing aside his discomfort with the approach. He volunteered to take short-notice fights, once offering to take on now-former champ Pat Curran for the title on five days’ notice.
Nothing seemed to give him traction.
“I was doing those things, and I was started to feel like I was not only losing myself in the transformation of being entertaining for them, but as I was doing these things, I didn’t see that I was getting anywhere with them,” Jenkins told MMAjunkie one week prior to his release.
In an interview with MMAjunkie after Jenkins’ release, Coker denied the promotion acted improperly during the fighter’s tenure. He said the decision to release the fighter was based on his performance in the cage and not on any personal dislike.
“We gave him a lot of opportunities, and this sport is unforgiving sometimes,” he said. “We just felt there’s only so many TV spots available, and we’re going to basically move on.”
Coker indicated the promotion tried to accommodate Jenkins when he said he was unhappy fighting for Bellator. He became defensive, however, when told of the fighter’s claim that his team didn’t pick up the phone.
“Bubba Jenkins has never called me once,” Coker said. “Not once. Rich would be the guy he would talk to, but some fighters, if they’re not happy, they’ll come and find me. Believe me. Yet I’ve never talked to him one time about this whole situation.”
From hot prospect to theft accusations, Bubba Jenkins' story of a fallout with Bellator
