Jalin Turner was on the verge of beginning an impressive win streak by defeating Renato Moicano at UFC 300 and reclaiming his position as a promising contender in the lightweight division.
However, this is not how things went and many believe it to be because of Turner walking off after knocking down Moicano toward the end of the first round. Instead of getting on top and getting a likely TKO win, Turner turned away as if the fight was over.
Moicano, on the other hand, was far from knocked out and quickly got back up on his feet. Despite being wobbly, Moicano survived the last 15 seconds and ended up winning the fight via TKO in the second round.
Turner's decision to not follow up with ground and pound was widely criticized. Looking back at it, the fighter has finally revealed what was going through his mind in that moment...
'Rampage' Jackson Correctly Predicts Why Turner Didn't Finish Moicano At UFC 300
Turner recently appeared on the Jaxxon Podcast, hosted by former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson. "Rampage," who was a devastating KO artist during his prime, was able to accurately make out how Turner's controversial TKO win over Bobby Green affected his mentality.
I've been thinking about this. I think I know why you walked off [against Moicano]. 'Cause the last time the referee took his damn time stopping the fight and you such a good guy, you didn't want to hurt nobody.
As it turns out, this is exactly what stopped Turner from going for the finish against Moicano.
He recollected the backlash he received after the fight with Green as he landed several shots before the referee finally stepped in, even after it was apparent that Green wasn't fighting back at all.
That's exactly what it is. My conscience just kind of kicked in a little bit, like mid-fight.
"My conscience really kicked in the fight, like even before the fight, I didn't, like, fully, like, get to that, 'Oh, I gotta like kill this dude instinct.' I was just like, it's a fight. I'm just, 'Go, do a like, you know, just go perform,' and yeah, that's what happened.