Stepping in on about a month’s notice to take on the dangerous Karl Roberson at UFC Sacramento will be debuting Brazilian Wellington Turman.
The UFC is coming to Sacramento, California, on July 13 in the Golden 1 Center. The card is set with Aspen Ladd vs. Germaine de Randamie headlining the card. UFC Sacramento also has the return of Urijah Faber who will take on the rising Ricky Simon. The event also holds many action-first fighters and a few rising up-and-comers. On the card, Karl Roberson was supposed to take on John Phillips. With that said, the injury bug struck for the second time on the card as Phillips had to pull out. The show must go on and the UFC signed Brazilian Wellington Turman to take the fight on short notice.
6’0″
Middleweight
22-years-old
Curitiba, Parana, Brazil
Gile Ribeiro Team
15-2
4 KO/TKO
7 Submissions (4 Rear-Naked Chokes, 3 Guillotine Chokes)
How Will Wellington Turman Fare in the UFC:
Turman is well-rounded with finishes on the feet and the mat while going the distance six times and showing solid cardio. On the feet, Turman has some good power mainly coming from his looping overhand right. He does his best in the clinch with short elbows and dangerous knees. He can be too wild as he will wing his punches while leaving his head on the center line.Turman loves the overhand but when he throws it he dips his head creating an opening for his opponent to land an uppercut or a knee.
The Brazilian is better on the mat, but his wrestling could be better. He’s effective in the clinch, not only with his striking, but also utilizing trip takedowns. He’s got some solid jiu-jitsu which is his best weapon and as risky as it is, he will at times pull guard. Turman is good at taking the back, showcased by his four rear-naked chokes. He’s been dominant once he’s gets the top position. Overall it’s a good signing because he’s still young and can develop into a better fighter. As of now, he will struggle with strikers who have good defense along the cage.
- Striking: D+
- Kickboxing: D+
- Clinch: B+
- Wrestling: C
- Grappling: B+
- Striking Defense: C+
- Takedown Defense: B
- Cardio: B
- Biggest Strength: BJJ
- Biggest Weakness: Striking defense
How He Matches Up With Karl Roberson:
Roberson is 2-2 in the UFC but to his credit, his losses are to Cezar Ferreira and Glover Teixeira. Roberson is well-rounded, but his weakness has been his takedown defense and grappling defense. Roberson is very good at range with his kicks and has a solid counter right he throws. Turman does struggle at range and if he can’t find his range he will get picked apart. Both of the losses on the record of Roberson has come by submission but both of the aforementioned fighters are much better wrestlers than Turman but the submission threat is still there for him. I think Roberson should be able to use his kicks, jabs, and counter abilities to keep Turman at bay. If Turman gets the fight to the mat just once I think he finds the finish. Roberson just has more ways to win and his speed and explosiveness should get him the fight. It’s a tough fight to call.
