Jenkins is now on the comeback trail, and he remains one of the
UFC’s more fascinating featherweight prospects. The Australian
doesn’t stand out at first glance, but over time, it has become
apparent that he has a strong mix of well-rounded skills and
impressive durability, making for a solid jack of all trades with
the bonus of being able to kick his opponents’ legs like a horse.
That has made for a hard UFC career to parse thus far. He has
looked good while never being particularly dominant and scored some
solid wins, at least up until the point that an injury prematurely
ended what had been an even fight against Jose
Mariscal in 2023. After 11 months on the shelf, Jenkins makes
his return in a tricky but winnable fight against Burns, who could
badly use a victory at this point. Burns’ UFC career has been
marred by injuries in recent years—this only marks the Brazilian’s
third fight since 2020—and his campaign in general has cooled off
after a hot start. That’s a fitting career arc given how Burns’
fights go. He has historically been absolutely electric in the
early going of his fights as an aggressive finisher in all phases,
but he tires badly by the second round. Jenkins tends to focus on
his own offense while relying on his toughness, so Burns will
likely get the chance to jump out to his usual early lead. With
that said, Jenkins should be another opponent who can survive and
take over the fight in dominant fashion. The pick is Jenkins via
second-round stoppage.
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