UFC 323 goes down on December 6th in Las Vegas and today, the promotion officially announced the card and all the matchups currently booked. Included in today’s announcement was a really fun lightweight matchup between Edson Barboza (24-13) and Jalin Turner (14-9).
This matchup stands out because earlier this year, Turner announced that he was retiring from the sport after a rough 1-4 stretch. Back in 2022, Turner submitted Brad Riddell in the first round to win his fifth fight in a row. He looked like someone who could contend for a UFC world title.
However, he then suffered back-to-back split decision losses against Mateusz Gamrot and Dan Hooker. After a bounce back knockout against King Green, he faced Renato Moicano. In that fight, he had Moicano essentially out in the first round, but he didn’t follow up and tried to walk off. The fight continued and Moicano went on to finish him.
Back in March, he didn’t look great against Ignacio Bahamondes and was submitted in the first round. That loss made him announce his retirement, but it seems like that announcement was made out of frustration more than anything else.
Now, he returns at UFC 323 against Edson Barboza. Barboza last fought in August when he lost a decision to Drakkar Klose. That loss was Barboza’s second loss in a row. The veteran is still one of the more exciting fighters on the roster, but he’s definitely looked his age in his last few fights. If he loses this one, he might have to really think about hanging up the gloves.
More about: MMA
