Jalin Turner Breaks Silence on UFC 300 Fumble, Almost Retired for Missing Walk-off KO

"The Tarantula" reveals a butterfly effect took him out of his element against Renato Moicano.

Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Renato Moicano (blue gloves) fights Jalin Turner (red gloves) during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Jalin Turner could've won big, bigger than ever, at UFC 300 had the ranked lightweight pulled the trigger just one more time.

It's been over a month since the dust settled on a historic night of fights at UFC 300, which saw 13 fighters emerge victorious in Las Vegas, Nevada. Top contender Renato Moicano was one of them. The Brazilian outmatched Turner on the ground to grab a second-round TKO.

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The opening round in Turner vs. Moicano told a different tale, with "The Tarantula" turning in a knockdown of Moicano only to walk away in the following seconds. Down on the canvas, the dazed Moicano quickly sprung up to his feet to regain control of the fight and later TKO Turner on the ground.

This angle makes it look even worse 😭
why did bro walk away pic.twitter.com/eV9UJZYtmU

— 🌴ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ🌴 (@TheArtOfWar6) April 17, 2024

Turner acknowledged his fight beforehand with Bobby "King" Green in December as a cause for this mistake. Turner also rocked Green with strikes, firing at will for what felt like an eternity before the referee finally waved it off. Turner was reminded of the intense scene at UFC Austin when Green took the mic after his win against Jim Miller shortly before he walked to the Octagon at UFC 300.

"The backlash I got from that [TKO stoppage of Green] and I was like, dang... my conscious really kicked in the fight," Turner said on the Jaxxon Podcast. "Even before the fight, I didn't like fully like get to this... 'I gotta like kill this dude' instinct."

Check out how Turner's former foe "King" Green handled his defeat ahead of his successful bounce back at UFC 300, courtesy of MMA Junkie.

#UFC300's Bobby Green reflects on the prolonged stoppage in his loss Jalin Turner.

"One thing I didn't prepare for is that ref could let you get too much damage where you might not come back the same." pic.twitter.com/W9ueVjas2C

— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 10, 2024

Turner's world was turned upside down in the days and weeks following UFC 300. Turner says he turned off his social media and was stuck in a "dark hole" mentally, being handed his third loss in his last four fights.

"That one really bothered me a lot. I haven't talked about the extent of it. I was talking to my psychiatrist and I literally just went down a dark hole after that fight," Turner revealed. "After seeing how close I was to just finishing him, too, I was like, dang. I was just beating myself. I just kept beating myself up... trying to get back to just reality of normal life and just not be so down on myself anymore about it."

Jalin Turner Thought Herb Dean Would Stop the Fight at UFC 300

Regarding the first round that saw Turner nearly end the fight with Moicano, Turner was under the impression that referee Herb Dean would stop the contest to produce a walk-off KO for the highlight reel. Instead, the veteran ref kept the action rolling.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Turner isn't one to argue with Dean, making peace with the official's decision to not stop the contest.

"I thought it was enough to stop it, but he didn't," Turner continued. "It's not his fault. I'm supposed to do my job until the ref stop... I didn't want to be that guy [to deliver more damage than needed] and I should have been that guy. I would have got $300,000."

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After losing out on the larger-than-life win bonus at UFC 300, Turner says that "it's not about the money." That said, the UFC Lightweight did consider stepping away from the fight business entirely at 29 years old.

"If I didn't get the calls that I did and the support that I did after the fact of people telling me like not to stop and that there's so much more that I have— I probably would [have retired]," Turner added. "I was ready to hang it up. No offense, but, like to lose to him. I'm not discrediting him in any way, shape, or form. He's a stellar, like, mixed martial artist, but I just really felt in my heart like I was the better martial artist and on that night, I did not show it, and that really killed me."

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