Despite being the higher seed in his featherweight semifinal
matchup with Bubba
Jenkins, Chris Wade
enters the Professional Fighters League playoffs as an underdog,
both according to oddsmakers and popular opinion.
“I can’t lie. I’m extremely motivated by the fact that people find
him to be a clear-cut, in their mind, favorite in this bout,” Wade
said during a virtual media day. “I think that at best, if you
really know what you’re talking about in fighting, you could give
him a coin flip situation…But to be calling him a clear-cut
favorite is absurd.
“He doesn’t really do anything that stylistically poses a huge
threat to people other than hold on to them in wrestling
situations, which I’m very familiar with being a wrestler myself.
I’m struggling to see where the real threat is in this bout, let
alone how he’s gonna survive it.”
Wade, a veteran with two PFL playoff appearances already under his
belt, went 2-0 during the 2021 season with victories over Anthony
Dizy and Arman
Ospanov. Jenkins likely received more fanfare for his
performance in large part due to a victory over two-time champion
Lance
Palmer in his regular season debut.
However, Wade isn’t buying into the Jenkins hype.
“I’m pretty friendly with Lance. I think everybody kind of knows
from talking to Lance that Lance wasn’t as into this mentally this
year as he has been in the past,” Wade said. “That’s not to make
excuses for him, but I know that wasn’t the best Lance
Palmer that we’ve seen. That’s just a stylistic matchup thing.
Lance and Bubba both really, really want to wrestle the entire
fight. That was a butting of heads stylistically.
“This for me, I’m going in there to really try to put punishment on
Bubba and hurt him and finish him in the fight. I think it’s two
totally different things. Two different worlds.”
The PFL playoffs air Friday on ESPN2 and ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m.
from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
Prelims stream immediately prior on ESPN+ beginning at 6:30 p.m.
ET/3:30 p.m. PT.