LAS VEGAS – Wellington Turman sure faced adversity to get his latest win in the octagon.
The light heavyweight picked up an armbar finish over Cirkunov (15-8 MMA, 6-6 UFC) in their co-main event clash at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 202. It was a slick finish that put the Brazilian on a two-fight winning streak. But, the victory came with a price.
“It wasn’t easy, but it was great,” Turman told MMA Junkie at the UFC Fight Night 202 post-fight press conference. “As the famous saying goes, ‘Life’s not about how hard of a hit, but about how many you can get hit and still keep moving forward.’ I live by that.”
Turman (18-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) came close to finishing Cirkunov with a rear-naked choke in the first round. The 35-year-old was able to escape and put Turman in a world of trouble landing heavy ground-and-pound from top that battered Turman’s face.
“First round, I put that rear-naked choke and he started growling and making noises, and that’s when I started squeezing even more,” Turman recalled. “I thought I had it. He was able to take me off his back and he landed some shots, but my corner did a great job in between rounds and I came back motivated and you guys saw what happened.”
Turman came back strong in the second after a tough first round and closed the show in style. The Brazilian set up a quick and explosive armbar from guard that had Cirkunov tapping in just seconds.
“I do that a lot in the gym,” Turman said. “Everyone I train with knows I do that very well. So when he took me down, I felt Glover (Teixeira) in my corner say, ‘He’s slowing down. He’s slowing down. He’s a little soft.’ That’s when I threw and I got it.”
