Fans at T-Mobile Arena were treated to a highly-entertaining brawl between two ranked lightweights on the UFC 290 main card Saturday in Las Vegas.
When the dust settled and the blood was cleaned, Hooker (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC) defeated Turner (13-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28). The bout was a 158-pound catchweight bout because Turner missed weight ahead of the fight.
Technical striking that was seen in Round 1 slowly turned into brawling mayhem in Round 2. Turner was first to land a series of significant blows as he head kicked Hooker before he landed brutal standing elbows.
In the blink of an eye, Hooker turned the tables when he rocked Turner and went on the pursuit. Turner retreated as his strikes became slower and his hands dropped. Hooker snatched a rear-naked choke attempt with a few seconds left on the clock. While it appeared locked in, the buzzer sounded and likely saved Turner from a fight-ending submission.
Hooker was SWINGING in round two 👊 #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/JVaQM8FKNe
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 9, 2023
In Round 3, Turner was visibly tired and potentially still dazed from the Round 2 flurry. Hooker continued to push the action as he chucked bombs at Turner. In a potential desperation move, Turner took Hooker down. Hooker rose back up, however, and went on to get a split decision nod. The dissenting judge was Adalaide Byrd.
After the fight, commentator Joe Rogan asked Hooker if he broke his right arm.
“It’s just a scratch,” Hooker said, with a smile.
Dan Hooker is a SAVAGE 😳 #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/vj5PIorqVC
— UFC (@ufc) July 9, 2023
With the win, Hooker has won back-to-back fights. In November, he defeated Claudio Puelles via second-round TKO due to body kick. On the flip side, Turner has lost consecutive fights for the first time in his UFC career.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 290 results include:
- Dan Hooker def. Jalin Turner via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Bo Nickal def. Val Woodburn via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:38
- Robbie Lawler def. Niko Price via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:38
- Tatsuro Taira def. Edgar Chairez via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
- Denise Gomes def. Yazmin Jauregui via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:20
- Alonzo Menifield def. Jimmy Crute via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 1:55
- Vitor Petrino def. Marcin Prachnio via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 3:42
- Cameron Saaiman def. Terrence Mitchell via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:10
- Jesus Aguilar def. Shannon Ross via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 0:17
- Esteban Ribovics def. Kamuela Kirk via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
