Wellington Turman finally re-enters the octagon Saturday, battling Islam Dulatov at UFC Abu Dhabi, and the road back involved four surgeries and several hard decisions.
Turman fought Jared Gooden in December 2023 and injured his shoulder in defeat. He was already dealing with a left shoulder injury, but first went under the knife to fix his right shoulder. Days before undergoing his left shoulder surgery, however, an infection on the right shoulder required another procedure. Turman finally had left shoulder surgery months later, bit his ordeal wasn’t over as the bone was still displaced.
“I spent a long time undergoing surgeries,” Turman told MMA Fighting. “I had four surgeries in total. Two of them didn’t go well, so I had to have them redone. That’s why I’ve been out for so long. It was a tough time, very difficult to be away from doing what I love and from my job. But we’re finally back, and I’m really happy to be here again.”
Being a MMA fighter means only getting paid when you enter the octagon, so Turman took on side gigs to make extra cash while unable to fight or even coach. When his U.S. visa expired, Turman moved back from Danbury to his parents’ house in Brazil to be closer to family—and save some money—before finally fighting in the UFC again. In the meantime, Turman also spent three months coaching fighters in Turkey.
Turman’s UFC return is around the corner, and he’s happy to be facing Dulatov in Abu Dhabi.
“He’s a very tough opponent, like everyone in the UFC. There are no easy fights here. Everyone is legit,” Turman said. “He’s a guy with a lot of hype around him and is already pretty well known because of his other career [as a model]. I think it’s a great fight for my return and a chance to show that I belong in the UFC and deserve to stay in the UFC.”
Turman said “there’s always a little bit of pressure” in fighting off losses, especially three in a row against Gordon, Randy Brown and Andre Petroski, but “that’s what keeps me alive and what makes me happy.”
“I’ve always performed well under pressure, especially when it’s a fight where everyone thinks I’m going in there to lose,” Turman said. “He’s coming in with a lot of hype, all first-round knockout wins and everything. That’s the kind of thing that makes some fighters nervous and affects their performance. For me, it’s the opposite. It motivates me even more and gives me extra energy. It feels like it’s my UFC debut all over again. It feels like I’m starting fresh. I’m just really happy to be back here.”
