UFC fighter Jalin Turner put on a show Saturday night, knocking out opponent Kaue Fernandes just 39 seconds into a lightweight bout at UFC 330 in Philadelphia.
The spectacular performance was the 31-year-old’s second consecutive first-round victory after a brief retirement in 2025. He is now 16-9 as a professional.
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The fight began in a frenzy, with both knockout artists coming out swinging. When Fernandes threw a spinning back fist, Turner saw the opening and landed an uppercut that sent Fernandes to the mat. It was all over from there.
JALIN TURNER JUST LIKE THAT 💥
📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/Wq4HnSW5QZ
— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 16, 2026
The man nicknamed “The Tarantula” because of his childhood fear of spiders solemnly walked back to his corner, raising his fist briefly in victory. Then, moments after officially being declared the winner, he was asked how he was feeling.
“I’m feeling the joy of the Lord right now,” he told the UFC reporter. “I gotta give all my thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. You see that there’s a lot of fighters coming out here and saying that. There’s a revival happening right now, and I’m stepping in here with the Prince of Peace every time and I’m putting on victories like this.”
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Turner continued his Christ-exalting comments throughout a very candid post-fight press conference.
“I was just talking to my pastor the other day,” he said. “I’m like, ‘I used to think it was the corniest thing when people would go and talk about God and Jesus in the octagon.’ … For me to be like this now, I’m like, ‘God had to have done it, because there’s no other way.'”
When asked what changed about his mindset, he revealed that he began to read the Bible and see that true fulfillment is found only in Christ, not the pleasures of this world.
“I started reading for myself. Then I started understanding for myself. Then I got curious,” Turner said. “And then I’m like, ‘Oh no, I got it all wrong.’ Because I got everything I wanted out of this career fighting for the UFC, hitting the top 10, partying with all these models, drinking, smoking whatever, having all the fun I could. And every day, I would go home and see my kids and I’d be like, ‘This is not fulfilling.'”
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Turner gave some insight into his reasons for retiring in March 2025, and also his reasons for returning that December. He admitted that he’d break down emotionally at times before his retirement, hanging on every result and wondering what was next and what purpose life served.
“When I retired, I was ready to just start coaching, doing anything else,” Turner said. “And me finding my faith and this relationship with God, it’s really shown and opened my eyes.
“… [Mixed Martial Arts] is going to be my biggest ministry. This is going to be my biggest platform and opportunity to speak to people that need to be found, need to see His light, need a light shined, need some inspiration, need some love, need some help, need some care.”
Turner, who describes himself as a “disciple” in his Instagram bio, made sure to mention his partnership with Mason’s Hands of Hope, a faith-based nonprofit with a stated mission to provide “compassionate support to children battling cancer, families facing hardship, trafficking survivors, and vulnerable individuals.”
“I just want to help people,” Turner said in his press conference. “I just want to do other things. I want to be praying for people, ministering to people, coaching, helping others. I just want to help serve people.”
Turner said fighting in the UFC is not necessarily what he’d be doing if it were up to him. But it’s not, he said. It’s up to God.
“I know this is what God’s called me to do,” he said. “… This is where I need to be. This is where my biggest platform I have is. So I just want to grow it and build this brand. Build it on a solid rock — a solid foundation — and just give all glory and thanks to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Turner doesn’t know where his next fight will be or who his next fight will be against. But there will be a next one, because he knows for certain that the Holy Spirit is working in him and through him to advance the Kingdom of God.
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