Some MMA fighters like to extend their career, and Tony Ferguson is an excellent example of that, much to the community’s worry. But on the other hand, others tend to retire at the right time, fit and healthy, like Khabib Nurmagomedov. Then there’s premature retirement. Lightweight fighter Jalin Turner, who’s just 29 years old, seems to have had his fill as a UFC fighter since he decided to hang up his gloves following the loss against Ignacio Bahamondes.
Jalin Turner has only been able to win one fight since 2023, and he was hoping to bounce back against the unranked Ignacio Bahamondes. But the Chilean star put up a performance that earned him praise. Turner was showing real promise when he had Bahamondes on the ground rattled with some strikes. The crowd seemed to love the two tall lightweights showing great offense from the get-go.
However, Ignacio Bahamondes caught Jalin Turner in a triangle choke and the fight was over in just a single round when ‘The Tarantula’ struggled to maintain his composure and tapped out to a triangle choke. Following the loss, Turner decided to call it a career, claiming that he was “done” fighting. As per MMA journalist John Morgan, who connected with Turner after the fight, he’s made up his mind about retirement and that thought had been in his mind since UFC 300.
“Jalin Turner tells me he’s made the decision to retire. Asked if he might want to take some time to reconsider, but he says he’s sure and has been battling with the decision since UFC 300,” John Morgan wrote on X.
Jalin Turner tells me he’s made the decision to retire. Asked if he might want to take some time to reconsider, but he says he’s sure and has been battling with the decision since UFC 300. #UFC313.
— John Morgan (@JohnMorgan_MMA) March 9, 2025
Moreover, Jalin Turner was also seen talking to his team after the fight and he was heard saying I’m done” after losing the fight to Ignacio Bahamondes. With his retirement, let’s take a look back at Turner’s UFC career so far.
A look back at Jalin Turner’s UFC career
Jalin Turner never got a chance to fight for the title since he never broke into the top 10 in the lightweight division. But with a career total of 23 fights, ‘The Tarantula’ shined with 10 big knockout wins and 4 submission wins. He started his career less than a decade ago, and it took him 9 fights to catch Dana White‘s attention, who brought him to the UFC via the Contender Series.
‘The Tarantula’ may not have won a title, but he did win some other honors which include two Performance of the Night honors, which the 29-year-old earned for his fights against Brad Riddell and Bobby Green. While it may not have been as illustrious a career as Dustin Poirier, who’s also retiring after one more fight, Turner did stand out amongst the rest of the lightweights for his physical features, which include his 6-foot-3-inch tall frame.
So what’s next for Jalin Turner? We don’t know that yet, but what we do know is that he’ll be spending more time with his friends and family. Maybe we get to see him join the analysts panel in the UFC. It remains to be seen.
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