Preview: PFL 9, 2022 Playoffs

Featherweights

Ryoji Kudo (11-3-1, 1-1 PFL) vs. Bubba Jenkins (18-5, 4-1 PFL)

ODDS: Jenkins (-325); Kudo (+250)

Jenkins entered the 2022 campaign as one of the favorites in the featherweight field and he performed as such, earning decision triumphs over Kyle Bochniak and Reinaldo Ekson to capture the No. 2 seed. A two-time NCAA All-American wrestler, there are no secrets to Jenkins’ approach. While his striking has improved over the years, “I’m a Bad Man” does his best work through takedowns, clinch work and ground-and-pound. His grappling is backed by sound submission defense, though it can be maddening when Jenkins elects to maintain position on the canvas instead of looking for the finish. On the feet, Jenkins prefers to strike at range, and the constant threat of the takedown creates openings for him to land punching combinations and the occasional high kick. He flashed power in his opening regular season bout against Kyle Bochniak, but despite dropping his opponent repeatedly did not pursue the finish with any urgency.

A former prospect on Rich Franklin’s One Championship Warrior Series, Kudo has made significant progress in recent years. Most notable is the power in his hands, which was on full display in a knockout of Alejandro Flores Garcia at PFL 5 on June 24. The Tribe Tokyo MMA product also rocked and dropped Brendan Loughnane at PFL 2 while keeping the British veteran on the retreat for much of the bout, which ended prematurely due to an accidental clash of heads. While Loughnane was awarded a technical unanimous decision, Kudo could very well be 2-0 heading into his matchup with Jenkins.

Kudo is a patient fighter who tends to lunge forward with sporadic bursts of aggression. His kicking game isn’t consistent, but he will throw the occasional low kick when he isn’t winging power punches. This approach could prove costly against Jenkins, who has a keen sense of timing on takedowns, whether it’s behind his own offense or changing levels following an attack from his opponent. While Kudo showed solid takedown defense and scrambling against Loughnane, Jenkins is a different animal. If the American is denied on an initial attempt, he will simply chain together multiple attempts or grind away at his opponent. With a championship appearance on the line, look for Jenkins to make this an ugly affair rather than risk being on the wrong end of one of Kudo’s heavy strikes. Jenkins grinds out a sometimes-ugly decision victory.

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Harrison vs. Jindrova
Wade vs. Loughnane
Pacheco vs. Kolesnyk
Kudo vs. Jenkins
Main Card
Qualifiers
Prelims