Jalin Turner shared that facing Bobby Green at the UFC on ESPN 52 wasn’t actually his choice. In his recent interview, the fighter underscored that many fellow MMA artists showed interest in the opportunity, but he was the one who received the call despite being mum. While Turner believes it might be because of his ranking, he said he’s still thrilled to take the bout.
Turner replaced Dan Hooker in his co-main lightweight event at the UFC on ESPN 52 this Saturday at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. According to UFC, “The Hangman” obtained an arm injury. This withdrawal last week pushed the UFC to find a replacement for Hooker on short notice. Several fighters expressed interest in fighting Green when the news broke out. First is Rafael dos Anjos, saying he can make it at 165/170 in his backyard. Meanwhile, Jared Gordon, who encountered “King” in April (although the fight was given a no-contest status), said on X to “run it back.” Terrance McKinney also commented, saying it “would be a honor to throw down with King but every torch must be past down.”
Yet, after days, the UFC announced that the spot would be given to Turner. “The Tarantula” revealed, nonetheless, that he initially didn’t have the intention to take it despite being presented with a good offer.
“I feel like I didn’t have a choice not to take it,” Turner said. “I’m trying to figure out the same damn thing, because I wasn’t saying nothing. I was like, ‘Ah, go ahead. Let somebody else handle it.’
“I think it’s just because I’m ranked. They want somebody in the rankings, and who else is really saying something? Terrance said something, but he’s not in the rankings, so they probably didn’t want to do that. Shoot, I think I heard RDA’s name thrown in there, but he wasn’t going to make the weight. Jared Gordon, he stepped up, too? Man, they should’ve made that fight. Why throw me in there?”
Despite this, the fighter is still determined to win the fight, stressing that despite not being into it initially, it’s just business.
“At the end of the day, it’s business, and I’m going to go out there as a businessman and handle mine,” said Turner. “I’ll do that time and time again, and every single time. That’s what it is.”
