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'Really hurt my heart,' UFC 313 main card fighter opens up on botched walk-off KO

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Chris De Santiago | Last updated Mar 7, 2025 3:28 PM ET

UFC lightweight Jalin Turner had a bit of a rough patch following his loss to Renato Moicano.

From UFC 300 To 313

After nearly a year away, the 29-year-old returns this weekend on the main card of UFC 313, where he takes on Chile's Ignacio Bahamondes. This will be Turner's first appearance since competing at the milestone UFC 300 event.

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Turner thought he had the last fight won when he dropped Moicano inside of a round, walking away with referee Herb Dean letting the action continue. Moicano would then mount a comeback, scoring a second-round TKO.

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We haven't heard all that much from Turner in the months removed from the loss to Moicano, other than what he said on The Jaxxon Podcast . Turner claimed he didn't go for the finish because of the backlash that came with his late TKO stoppage of King Green a few months prior. Turner even said he considered retiring from MMA altogether.

This angle makes it look even worse
why did bro walk away pic.twitter.com/eV9UJZYtmU
— ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ (@TheArtOfWar6) April 17, 2024

Turner 'Grew Sick Of Everything' After UFC 300

Retirement not the case and his next fight approaching at UFC 313, Turner details the emotional turmoil from the loss and how he had to find his love for the fight game again.

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“I went through a lot of stuff after that [UFC] 300 loss," Turner said on MMA Today. "I just had to recuperate and I just had to grow and I just had to just find my fire, find my passion for the sport again. Just fall in love with it again 'cause I just grew sick of everything. I had to get off social media, kind of just live life a little bit more and just train and just get better and just fall in love with everything again. I was just fed up with it."

"300, it really hurt my heart. Like to lose on such a big card, stuff like that... it’ll break you. I folded a little bit, but I came back."

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Turner: "I Was Afraid To Lose On A Big Stage Again..."

Jalin Turner has experienced losses before, just falling short in split decisions to top contenders Mateusz Gamrot and Dan Hooker, but nothing quite like this. Hearing all kinds of noise on what he did wrong in his last fight, Turner says his relationship with God helped him overcome the difficulties.

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"I prayed about it, God was like, 'Nah, you still need to fight, don’t be fearful…’ I was afraid to lose on a big stage again," Turner admitted. "‘I called you to be courageous…’ I prayed about it for so many months. So, I feel like God is with me. I feel like everything is facilitating how he wants it to. I’m ready to go out there and perform and enjoy what I do.”

Catch "The Tarantula" Jalin Turner back in action at UFC 313 this Saturday from Las Vegas - live on pay-per-view.

" [UFC] 300, it really hurt my heart to lose on such a big card."

Jalin Turner explained to @RJcliffordMMA & @AngieOverkill why he took 11 months off in between fights, and why he is rejuvenated to get back in the win column at #UFC313. pic.twitter.com/l9h7ysEsPU
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) March 6, 2025