JO V. Bubba- Vegas Odds and Why Bubba can SHOCK PA. Again
JO V. Bubba- Vegas Odds and Why Bubba can SHOCK PA. Again
Jordan Oliver v. Bubba Jenkins: Vegas Lines and Preview
Christian Pyles
All the pressure, in reality, is on Oliver. Jordan is the guy training year round for World and Olympic Titles. Jordan is the guy coming off an undefeated collegiate season. Jordan is the guy 9 wrestling enthusiasts out of 10 are picking to win.
I don’t think Bubba would have it any other way.
Jenkins, who is training full time for Mixed Martial Arts has never backed down from a challenge before. While technically, he may be out-matched, I think he’s got a legitimate shot in this one.
Let’s stack up wins. Bubba has notched W’s over the following: David Taylor, Jordan Burroughs, Darrion Caldwell, JP O’Connor, Lance Palmer and Jason Welch. That’s 5 titles and 18 All Americans between those. Bubba’s beaten them all. Are we selling Bubba a bit short? Historically Bubba J’s kryptonite has been guys who can go high pace and very physical for 7 minutes. Bubba has struggled to hold on for the duration of matches against those type of wrestlers. The question now is, can JO push him for 7 minutes?
Now let’s not forget that Bubba has not been without some serious lapses in performance. The same year he beat David Taylor at NCAA’s, he lost to Tyler Chang who placed 3rd at NAIA that year. He also went 2 and BBQ at NCAA’s as a 2 seed. So there’s always an unknown quality about Bubba. It’s part of what makes him so exciting. Trying to predict which Bubba you’ll get can be tough, but more often than not, you get the big time wrestler with the bigger moves.
From a technical standpoint Oliver is not physically imposing like Metcalf was to Bubba, wearing him out with brutal handfighting. Rather, Jordan likes to out-slick you and expose you from a technical standpoint. Does this play into Bubba’s hands? I don’t think there’s any question that Jenkins will easily be the physically strongest athlete that Oliver has faced. Power, strength, speed and did I forget big time moves? Bubba can end the match in an instant, just ask David Taylor. Before I move on, believe me, I’m not trying to reduce Bubba to a mere knockout artist in wrestling who only has big moves. He can manage a match and is technically extremely gifted technically. Watch any of his technique videos on Flo. Some of his stuff is very complex and difficult to master. Offensively and defensively Bubba presents very unique problems that Jordan hasn’t faced in some time.
Now, let’s not forget who Jordan Oliver is and what he’s done. 4 time All American. 2 time National Champion with 2 undefeated seasons under his belt. In a different time, Jordan could have been the best of an era. The comparisons to John Smith and Eric Guerrero are made frequently and without hyperbole. He could be that good. Great speed, underrated power, and a technical embarrassment of riches, Jordan can beat you a lot of different ways. With wins over Logan Steiber, Jason Chamberlain and Dylan Ness (to name just a few) he’s not the only guy to put some big wins on the board.
Now let’s look at the odds.
Last week Jordan Oliver was a 3:1 favorite over Lance Palmer. I think that those lines were a bit conservative in hindsight. If we compare Bubba to Lance, I think Bubba presents significantly more problems for Oliver than Lance did. The more I’ve thought about this, I have started to believe that in a vacuum, I would like Bubba as a slight favorite. If he was training wrestling full time, I think I could feel comfortable with that. However, sight unseen, it is tough to make that call, and knowing that Jordan is in the midst of training for a World Title, I’m going to make Jordan the 3:2 favorite over Bubba.
So let’s hear it, if you could bet, where would you lay money: On the underdog with the big moves, or the proven star and hometown boy?
Either way, I wouldn’t want to be the one to miss it. Remember Saturday at Who’s Number 1, Live ONLY on Flo Pro.