UFC lightweight Jalin Turner is on a serious finishing streak – five in a row – and believes it will put him in title contention sooner than most would realize. His victory at UFC 276, a first-round submission, launched Turner to no. 14 in the lightweight rankings, and he may well be only a few finishes like that away from UFC gold.
“It all depends on who they give me next. If I beat one of these older heads in the game, I think I’m pretty much knocking on the door. I’ve already made five statements this far, I just need one more. I keep telling myself, ‘Just one more, just one more, the next fight is it, it’s going to open even more doors.’ So yeah, next fight. Next fight we’re going to be knocking on big doors and depending on who it is, we might be getting that title shot sooner than expected.”
Lightweight is one of the most competitive weight classes in the sport. There’s no shortage of elite fighters scrambling for a shot at the belt, but Turner believes his five-fight finishing streak sets him apart from the others. He might even be up for a headline spot in the near future.
“I feel the love. I finally started showcasing myself and everything has paid off, all the opportunities have paid off. Who knows? Maybe main event or headline a Fight Night [next]. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, but possibilities are endless.
I’m definitely not opposed to that. That would be fun. Get my first five-rounder in, test those waters, see how it goes. I doubt it goes five rounds, depending on who they give me, but I’d be down for it.”
Jalin Turner, in cracking the top fifteen, has reached a new level of competition. The fighters he faces will be tougher, stronger, and more dangerous than any opponent he has fought thus far. “Tarantula” Turner is very aware of this fact and plans on making the most of this gilded opportunity.
“I reached a new level. It’s like getting in a new tax bracket, there’s a lot of stuff that comes with it. I’m ready to start taking this division by storm and fighting these higher level opponents and continuing to make it look easy.”
Do you think we’ll see Jalin Turner competing for a UFC title soon? Who will he face next? Let us know in the comments.
