UFC featherweight Jack Jenkins credits golf pro for win over Ramon Taveras
UFC featherweight Jack Jenkins has revealed he turned to an unlikely ally in his preparation for his victory over Ramon Taveras, with golf pro Tom Power-Horan helping him find some extra motivation.
UFC featherweight Jack Jenkins admits he was going through a tough time in preparation for his most recent fight but a promise from a good mate helped him get through it.
‘Phar Jack’ experienced a snapped thyroid cartilage during his fight against Gabriel Santos at UFC 312.
The injury was severe enough that it was 1mm from potentially losing his ability to speak.
As a result, Jenkins had to overcome a raft of mental hurdles during his preparation for Ramon Taveras in September but a promise from his good mate and golf pro, Tom Power-Horan, gave him some extra motivation to get through it.
Power-Horan is the course record holder at Royal Melbourne, the venue of next month’s Australian Open and he promised Jenkins he would be able to caddie for him in the prestigious event if all went well against Taveras.
Jenkins outworked Taveras in Perth, winning by unanimous decision, and now he’s calling for Power-Horan to get a start in the Australian Open so the two good mates can live out the promise.
“I was really struggling mentally just to get back into the zone after my injury and that’s when they announced that Rory (McIlroy) was coming down and it was going to be a big version of the Australian Open,” Jenkins said.
“So, Tommy said to me go beat him (Ramon Taveras) and if you win, you can caddie for me at the Australian Open.
“At the time I was really struggling for motivation because of my injury but Tommy’s promise fuelled the fire and helped me get through it all.
“It was just a mate helping out another mate that was going through a tough time and now we just want to live that out in reality.
“Because he knows the course so well, growing up playing there and being a member, he doesn’t really need a caddie so it would sort of be me just tagging along for the ride.”
Power-Horan competed in last year’s Australian Open but is under no illusions that he’s guaranteed a start in the 2025 renewal.
“It’s a lot different this year because we’ve got McIlroy playing and if you win, you get a start in the Masters,” Power-Horan said.
“My status this year probably isn’t as good as it has been but I’m hoping to play well in the next couple of weeks and get an invite.
“But it was great that I helped Jack with some extra motivation getting through his fight and hopefully the two of us can live out the dream and go around in the Aus Open.
“It would be great.”
As for when we see Jenkins back in the octagon, he’s targeting a return to the United States in 2026 with a possible fight on the undercard at a pay-per-view on Super Bowl weekend.
Originally published as UFC featherweight Jack Jenkins credits golf pro for win over Ramon Taveras
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