Thiago Moises recognizes the challenge he faces.
On Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 34, Moises will take on Jalin Turner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The lightweight fight is scheduled to kick off the event’s main card.
“He’s a good fighter (and) a good striker,” Moises said, when asked about Turner. “He’s dangerous on the feet. He has a longer reach. He’s very tall, so I think that’s his strength.”
As a result of Turner’s length, Moises (13-4 MMA, 2-2 UFC) decided to make adjustments in his training camp. Turner (9-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) is a 6-foot-3 lightweight with a 75 1/2-inch reach. In order to get used to fighting a guy with such length, Moises began getting practice rounds in with fellow UFC lightweight Luis Pena, who stands 6-3 with a 75-inch reach.
“The training went very good,” Moises said. “As I said before, Jalin Turner is a very tall fighter. I trained with Luis Pena, whose reach is the same and is the same height as Jalin. I’m very used to (sparring) with guys his size. …
“I want to give it my best. I’m going to try to close the distance, try to get the fight to the ground and finish him.”
UFC on ESPN+ 34 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire event streams on ESPN+.
Check out Moises’ virtual UFC on ESPN+ 34 media day in the video above.
Thiago Moises recognizes Jalin Turner’s length will present challenges at UFC on ESPN+ 34
