UFC Austin Clash: Green Vs. Turner!

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight sluggers Bobby Green and Jalin Turner will collide this weekend (Sat., Dec. 2, 2023) at UFC Austin inside Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

It’s a shame that fight fans won’t be treated to five rounds of Green vs. Dan Hooker, but it’s hard to complain about this fight! Green doesn’t like boring fighters, and fortunately, Turner is anything but. This feels like a guaranteed slobber-knocker, with the only possible exception being if one man shuts off the lights in the opening round.

The big x-factor here is the short-notice nature of the booking. Green was surely well-prepared for a 25-minute war, but is Turner going to make weight and perform well? He’s a massive Lightweight with a tough cut, so it’s definitely a real factor here.

Let’s take a closer look at the keys to victory for each man:

Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Bobby Green

Record: 31-14-1 (1)

Key Wins: Grant Dawson (UFC Vegas 80), Nasrat Haqparast (UFC 271), Al Iaquinta (UFC 268), Lando Vannata (UFC Vegas 5), Josh Thomson (UFC on FOX 12), James Krause (UFC: Fight For The Troops 3), Tony Ferguson (UFC 291)

Key Losses: Islam Makhachev (UFC Vegas 49), Drew Dober (UFC Vegas 66), Rafael Fiziev (UFC 265), Thiago Moises (UFC Vegas 12), Francisco Trinaldo (UFC Fight Night 164)

Keys to Victory: It’s really quite remarkable how Green remains so fast, durable, and conditioned at 37 years of age. Just as he seemed to be slowing down, “King” proved otherwise with a 33-second knockout win over Grant Dawson, who was supposed to be the next top contender.

This is an interesting match up for Green, who typically likes to employ his boxing and speed advantages from the back foot by drawing his foes into sharp counters. Given Turner’s absurd height and reach, that doesn’t seem like the best idea.

Instead, I’d like to see Green working more from the front foot and pressuring Turner a bit. Given Turner’s relative lack of preparation, a high pace would likely benefit Green. Furthermore, a takedown attempt or two would help a lot! Green has always been an underrated wrestler, and that’s a historic issue for “The Tarantula.” Even if he cannot hold Turner down for too long, forcing Turner to burn through the gas tank is a good idea.

Pressure, combinations, and takedowns will fatigue anyone, let alone a fighter who had less than two weeks to prepare.

Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

Jalin Turner

Record: 13-7

Key Wins: Brad Riddell (UFC 276), Jamie Mullarkey (UFC 272), Joshua Culibao (UFC Fight Night 168)

Key Losses: Dan Hooker (UFC 290), Mateusz Gamrot (UFC 285), Matt Frevola (UFC 236)

Keys To Victory: Turner is a really good Lightweight. Sure, he’s lost two in a row, but both were split-decisions to top talent! He could easily be riding a long win streak, and regardless of those recent results, Turner has more than proven himself as a knockout artist inside the Octagon.

A knockout seems like Turner’s best path to victory here. Can he keep pace with Green for 15 minutes on such short-notice? It seems like a tall ask, especially given how Turner faded in the latter half of the Dan Hooker fight.

Fortunately, Turner hits really dang hard, and Green has slowed at least a small step. I’d like to see Turner patient with his range kicking and long distance pokes, the kind of attacks that Green will find difficult to counter. If he can force Green to come to him, Turner stands a fair shot at interrupting a Green combination with a heavy connection of his own.

If he hurts Green at all early, it’s probably time to empty the tank.

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Bottom Line

This is still a BANGER!

Do I think 37-year-old Bobby Green still has a real shot at contending? No, not really. However, his recent success in marquee fights has helped deservedly elevate his profile, because Green has been a great fighter putting on excellent fights for so many years. He deserves the attention, and he deserves fan-friendly match ups like Turner or Hooker.

Winning here keeps him going down that path.

As for Turner, this is a big risk. Circumstances aside, defeat here would make it three in a row and could cost him his ranking. At 28 years of age, Turner still has plenty of time to build momentum and go on a title run, but that’s a lot easier to do if he’s not forced to start over with zero momentum behind him.

At UFC Austin, Bobby Green and Jalin Turner will throw down in the co-main event. Which man remains standing when the dust settles?