Wellington Turman Record: 18-8-0

UFC career

Turman's Octagon arrival in July 2019 brought a tough split-decision loss to Karl Roberson, but he answered just months later with a composed unanimous-decision win over Markus Perez to put his first UFC victory on the board. The middle of his run proved difficult: in August 2020 he was stopped by a first-round knockout from Andrew Sanchez, and in June 2021 Bruno Silva caught him with first-round punches. Turman steadied himself with back-to-back wins, taking a split decision over veteran Sam Alvey in August 2021 and then showcasing his trademark grappling with a second-round armbar submission of Misha Cirkunov in February 2022.

The path turned uphill again as Turman ran into a difficult stretch of competition. He dropped a unanimous decision to surging prospect Andre Petroski at UFC 281 in November 2022, fell to Randy Brown by unanimous decision at UFC on ABC 5 in June 2023, and was submitted by a second-round rear-naked choke from Jared Gooden in December 2023. Now campaigning at welterweight, Turman is set to face Islam Dulatov as he looks to rediscover the finishing form that defined his rise.

Fighting style

Turman is a submission-first grappler whose black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu shows in his numbers: eight of his 18 wins have come by submission and another four by knockout, a finish rate around 67 percent. He hunts the rear-naked choke, guillotine and armbar, and is dangerous off his back as well as in scrambles, where his Cirkunov armbar offered a clean example of his mat skills. His striking has improved with the Teixeira camp, but his sternest tests in the UFC have come against power punchers and pressure wrestlers who keep the fight standing, with both of his knockout losses coming early. At his best, Turman drags opponents into deep water and finishes once it reaches the ground.

Career highlights

• Submission specialist — eight of his 18 wins have come by tapout, headlined by a second-round armbar of UFC veteran Misha Cirkunov.
• First UFC win over Markus Perez — rebounded from a debut loss with a composed decision over Markus Perez in 2019.
• Teixeira MMA product — trains out of Glover Teixeira's renowned Curitiba camp, refining his game against world-class teammates.