Jalin Turner (/ˈdʒeɪlɪn/ JAY-lin; born May 18, 1995) is an American mixed martial artist who currently competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
[3] Born in San Bernardino, California, Turner attended Summit High School and has described that he grew up in a rough neighbourhood.
In high school he was unable to play much sports such as football, basketball or track and field due to multiple injuries.
[4] Having the most talent in wrestling, Turner took up the sport during the pre-season of his sophomore year, but was unable to compete that season due to a broken finger.
[5] Frustrated by the recurring injuries, he started watching MMA bouts on television, which inspired him to try and practice the sport.
[6] With little money as a teenager and unable to afford combat training equipment, he would run and shadow box and used his family couch as a punching bag, until he joined Team Adrenaline which kickstarted his mixed martial arts career.
[8] After compiling an amateur record of 5–2, Turner started his professional MMA career since 2016 and fought primarily in his home state of California.
[11] Turner faced Max Mustaki on June 19, 2018 at Dana White's Contender Series 12,[12] winning by technical knockout in round one.
[26] In turn, Turner was quickly rescheduled and faced Brok Weaver on September 12, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 177.
[43] Turner stepped in on one week's notice to face Bobby Green on December 2, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 52, as a replacement for an injured Dan Hooker.