5 Things You Might Not Know About Jalin Turner

Jalin Turner has suddenly lost traction.

The Adrenaline Combat Sports product will look to make some forward progress in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division when he meets former King of the Cage titleholder Bobby Green in the UFC on ESPN 52 co-headliner this Saturday at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Turner enters the Octagon on the heels of back-to-back losses. His promotional record now sits at a still-respectable 6-4, with victories over Jamie Mullarkey, Uros Medic, Brok Weaver and Joshua Culibao anchoring his resume.

As Turner closes in on his forthcoming battle with Green at 155 pounds, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. A well-known talent pipeline sprang him.

Turner graduated from Summitt High School in Fontana, California. The school has produced a number of professional athletes—most notably current NFL running back Jamaal Williams, who led the league in rushing touchdowns (17) as a member of the Detroit Lions in 2022.

2. Off-the-charts physical tools spur some of the intrigue surrounding him.

The 28-year-old Californian ranks as one of the tallest and longest lightweights on the UFC roster, standing 6-foot-3 and wielding a wingspan of 77 inches. Turner will have four-inch height and six-inch reach advantages against Green.

3. He carries scorched-earth capabilities.

Turner has secured all 13 of his wins via finish—four by submission and nine by knockout or technical knockout. Those include four sub-minute stoppages in major organizations. Turner punched out Eric Steans in 28 seconds at a World Series of Fighting show on Feb. 20, 2016, cut down Gabriel Green with punches in 36 seconds under the Bellator MMA banner on Jan. 21, 2017, took care of Callan Potter with a kick to the body and follow-up punches in 53 seconds at UFC 234 on Feb. 9, 2019 and subdued Brad Riddell with a guillotine choke in 45 seconds at UFC 276 on July 2, 2022.

4. Judges tend to have an unfavorable view of his work.

“The Tarantula” owns a 0-4 record in bouts that reach the scorecards. Three of those losses have resulted in split verdicts, including Turner’s contentious defeats to former KSW champion Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 285 and City Kickboxing standout Dan Hooker at UFC 290.

5. He faces his fears.

Turner started keeping tarantulas as pets to overcome a childhood case of arachnophobia. In a 2019 interview with ESPN, he claimed to have had as many as 200 of the spiders at one time.