LAS VEGAS – Jalin Turner needed to snap out of a rough patch a few months ago, and he did so with authority.
After a pair of heartbreaking back-to-back split decision losses to Mateusz Gamrot and Dan Hooker in 2023 – his first skid in more than seven years and an end to five straight UFC finishes – Turner knocked out Bobby Green for a $50,000 bonus.
Saturday on the prelims at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena for the monumental UFC 300 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) prelims, Turner (14-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) has another tough ask on his hands: Renato Moicano (18-5-1 MMA, 10-5 UFC).
But because Turner was in the cage with Hooker for one of his split decision setbacks, he said he knows tough opponents – and thinks that will have him more than prepared for Moicano.
“I’m pretty sure there’s other people that I’ve fought that have the same accolades. I don’t know how durable he is,” Turner said at Wednesday’s media day. “Dan Hooker was definitely the toughest fighter I’ve ever fought in my life. I don’t know if Moicano is that durable. I won’t know until I fight him. But body-wise, (Moicano’s) style is kind of similar to Dan a little bit, but not as well-versed in the striking, I would say. We’ll see.”
You can watch Turner’s full media day session in the video above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 300.
Jalin Turner: Renato Moicano might be tough at UFC 300, but he won’t be Dan Hooker tough