'Death of my dreams' ... UFC savage mourns career after shock retirement

Retiring in MMA is a mixed bag of emotions. Fighters usually retire on back-to-back losses, rarely do they ride off into the sunset.

Jalin Turner's retirement at UFC 313 was a shock to many fans, at one point 'The Tarantula' was considered the UFC's lightweight bogeyman, with a shot at the top ranks almost inevitable.

This was until Turner suffered a slew of losses. Going 1-4 in his last five performances, 29 year old Turner made a shock announcement that he was putting down the gloves. Adding insult to injury was Turner's botched walk-off knockout at UFC 300.

The decision to retire weighs heavily on his heart.

'I mourn it' ... Jalin Turner reflects on shock retirement at UFC 313

Many believed the young fighter had plenty left in the tank; After all, Turner brutalized King Green in 2023 and had a five-fight finishing streak snapped by two tight split decisions.

It wasn't an easy decision to make, and speaking to Ariel Helwani, Turner revealed he's 'mourning' the 'death' of his dreams.

"I feel like a weight has been lifted," Turner admitted. "But also, it's the death of my dreams, it's hard, I mourn it. ... It's the right decision for now, I feel like it's really responsible of me to acknowledge what's going on - It's not to say that that fire won't come back.

"I just don't want to keep anybody waiting or anticipating a return, if I ever do return."

"I feel like a weight has been lifted, but also, it's the death of my dreams. It's hard. I mourn it."

Much respect to Jalin for his honesty and openness here. pic.twitter.com/2mU7rcgn1m
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) March 18, 2025

Fighters who have come back from worse than Jalin Turner

Losing streaks are part-and-parcel of MMA, Turner is currently riding a two-fight losing streak, but two of his last four losses have been tight decisions that he arguably could have won on a different day.

Max Holloway famously lost to Denis Bermudez and Conor McGregor back-to-back before putting together a 13-fight winning streak. Mark Hunt lost six fights in a row by finish before joining the UFC and becoming a true household name.

UFC 315 title challenger Jack Della Maddalena lost his first two professional fights and could have given up before his career peaked. Instead, 'JDM' followed up with a 17-fight unbeaten streak.

Dominick Reyes, who arguably beat Jon Jones, was knocked out three times in a row and has since recouped with a two-fight winning streak. 'Do Bronx' Charles Oliveira lost four fights in six performances before winning 11 straight and claiming the lightweight title.

Whatever Turner decides to do, his UFC comeback should be an ease-in to competition rather than fighting the gauntlet of talent he's become accustomed to.

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