“The Tarantula” is back.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight contender Jalin Turner has ended his brief retirement and will take on veteran striker Edson Barboza at UFC 323 on Sat.,
Dec. 7, 2025, inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The promotion announced the matchup in a press release today.
Turner (14-9) hung up his gloves earlier this year after being submitted by Ignacio Bahamondes at UFC 313 (watch highlights). That retirement didn’t last long — just seven months later, “The Tarantula” is ready to step back into the Octagon.
The 30-year-old enters on a two-fight losing streak and has dropped four of his last five. Before that skid, however, Turner looked like one of the division’s hottest prospects, racking up a five-fight win streak that included stoppages over Brad Riddell and Jamie Mullarkey (watch highlights). Known for his killer instinct, Turner boasts a 100 percent finish rate with 10 knockouts and four submissions.
Across from him will be longtime UFC legend Edson Barboza (24-13), who is also looking to rebound after back-to-back losses. The 39-year-old Brazilian most recently fell to Drakkar Klose at UFC 319 in his return to the Lightweight division, following a decision loss to Lerone Murphy.
Despite the recent setbacks, Barboza remains one of the most dangerous strikers in UFC history, owning wins and highlight-reel finishes over names like Shane Burgos and Billy Quarantillo (watch highlights) in recent years.
Here is what UFC 323 looks like so far:
- Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van
- Henry Cejudo vs. Payton Talbott
- Jan Blachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov
- Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira
- Maycee Barber vs. Karine Silva
- Chris Duncan vs. Terrance McKinney
- Jalin Turner vs. Edson Barboza
- Brunno Ferreira vs. Marvin Vettori
- Mairon Santos vs. Muhammad Naimov
- Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trocoli
- Nazim Sadykhov vs. Fares Ziam
- Ibo Aslan vs. Iwo Baraniewski
To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.
