Turkey’s Ibo Aslan looked to avenge his only pro loss as he debuted in the UFC against Anton ‘The Pleasure Man’ Turkalj.
Turkalj beat Aslan by submission on the regional scene years ago, but has struggled in the UFC, going 0-3 thus far. The Sweden’s well-roundedness faced off against the knockout power of Aslan in the third fight of the night in Atlantic City. In the end, that power won it in the third round for Ibo with an overhand right knocking out Turkalj.
They traded leg kicks to start before opening up with punches in the second minute of the fight. Aslan looked for his patented overhand right but Anton began to have more success with his hands by diversifying his shots. Turkalj landed big shots clean on the chin with one minute left, but Ibo showed amazing toughness and fired back himself. At the end of the round, it was clear the Sweden had a 10-9 lead, even after a failed cartwheel kick attempt at the buzzer.
The two traded massive punches in the pocket to start the second round, and though Turkalj landed more blows in that exchange he seemed to get the worse of it. However, after a moment Ibo’s eye began to swell shut. An inadvertent groin strike from the Swefe paused the action but when it resumed Aslan stunned Anton with a left hook. The action kept a good pace as both men stayed aggressive with the hands, even as they both breathed heavily from their mouths. The Turk stuffed several poor takedowns from Turkalj in the round. They both had their moments but Aslan’s heavier hands seemed to do more damage, tying the fight at 19-19 going into the final frame.
The final round began with another wild exchange in the pocket which drew a roar from the crowd. Turkalj spun for a back fist several times failing each time. Aslan made him pay for his wildness, landing a massive overhand right which knocked Turkalj onto his butt. Referee Gary Copeland jumped in to stop the fight, seeing that Anton was out of it, and the Swede did not protest the stoppage.
Ibo Aslan’s UFC career got off to a hot start, as he got his thirteenth pro knockout in his debut and avenged his only professional loss. In his post-fight interview, he yelled, “I am not here to win, I am here to knock people out!” which is certainly a style of fighting that fans like to see.
"I am not here to win the fight, I am here to knock people out!" 🗣️
UFC fans, welcome 🇹🇷 Ibo Aslan! #UFCAtlanticCity pic.twitter.com/OA3iQjpVrD
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) March 31, 2024
Official Result: Ibo Aslan def. Anton Turkalj by TKO (overhand right), Round 3, 1:32
