UFC: When Was Anton Turkalj Professional MMA Debut? The first episode of Dana White’s Contender Series 2022 featured IMMAF alum Anton Turkalj making his long anticipated debut on July 26. The Swede was scheduled to compete the previous year. But issues with his visa put a stop to his plans.
After more than a year of inactivity, Turkalj made the trip to Las Vegas to fight Brazilian Acácio dos Santos in a light heavyweight contest. He won his prior contest at BRAVE CF 50 in April of last year with a thirteen-second spinning back punch knockout.
The four-time IMMAF medalist trained with UFC hopefuls Alexander Gustafsson and Khamzat Chimaev in advance of the match.
Who Is Anton Turkalj?
The 26-year-old Anton Turkalj attempted flashy blows and had some success with hitting, but his grappling gave him the advantage. Throughout three rounds, he scored nine takedowns, used his advantageous position by threatening submission attempts, and occasionally interjected some blows.
Dana the head of the UFC, was unimpressed, giving Joseph Pyfer the only contract of the event. Turkish, who had waited patiently for his chance while watching from the sidelines for almost 14 months, was happy to be back.
If the right situation arises, Turkish might still appear in a promotion soon, even though he didn’t land a UFC deal. If he signed an agreement, he would join the plethora of former IMMAF athletes making headlines in the UFC. Viktoriya Dudakova, another unbeaten European gold champion, is the following IMMAF alum slated to compete in the Contender Series. On the show’s episode airing on August 30, she will compete against Maria Silva.
Turkish was the favorite going into his Contender Series match because he had never lost in hibeen s professional career before. TMMA representative also had a lot of success as an amateur. He received a medal in every competition, including a gold medal for Europe in 2017.
Anton Turkalj Ready To Light It Up In UFC 279,
In a 220-pound catchweight contest on Saturday at UFC 279, Anton, “The Pleasure Man” Turkalj, will square off against Jailton Almeida. The 26-year-old Swedish prospect will make his UFC debut in this battle after accepting the fight on short notice to fill in for Shamil Abdurakhimov.
Turkalj’s most recent fight was at Dana White’s Contender Series, where he competed for a UFC contract. He had the upper hand and won decisively by a unanimous decision over Acacio dos Santos, although he was still without a UFC contract at that time. But “The Pleasure Man” will finally have his chance to fight in the octagon in just four days.
Turkish competed in three consecutive fights in Brave CF before the Contender Series. In April 2021, he made history by knocking out Konstantin Soldatov in just 13 seconds with a great spinning back fist.
The impressive KO was the organization’s fastest finish ever, and “Pleasure Man” later claimed that he had assumed the finish method had broken his hand.
Anton Turkalj Is A Decorated Armature Fighter
Turkish competed in an exhibition grappling match against Swedish UFC icon Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson in December 2019 at AK Fighting Championship 3. He lost the fight, but he still has good memories of it.
“It seemed surreal and difficult to explain; it was a great honor. He is accommodating and has been like a mentor to me; he takes care of me. I have trained with him as well. After the fight, Turkalj said to Aftonbladet, “Alex was the first, and we are the following generation.
In his amateur MMA career, Anton Turkalj won two Swedish Championship gold medals, one gold, one silver, one bronze medal, and a World Cup bronze medal.
The welterweight co-main event between Tony Ferguson and Li Jingliang and the highly anticipated welterweight main event between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz is part of UFC 279. A compelling matchup between Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodri is also on the card.
Anton Turkalj Background And Early Life
Sherdog claims that Anton Turkalj competed in his first MMA match as an amateur. On October 3, 2015, he competed in his first amateur match at the Battle of Copenhagen 4. He was forced to submit, and he won.
After that, he won nine straight fights as an amateur boxer, compiling a 10-0-0 record, up to June 15, 2017. On June 16, 2017, at IMMAF, he fought Lebanon’s Imad Hayek. He was defeated by a split decision.
He won two straight fights after his first amateur loss until falling to Pavel Pahomenko at IMMAF on November 16, 2017. In his amateur MMA career, he has had two defeats. He once more won four straight amateur fights before dropping his final contest, which he lost to Murtaza.
UFC: When Was Anton Turkalj Professional MMA Debut?
Sherdog claims that Anton Turkalj made his career debut in 2018. On December 10, 2018, at RXF MMA 33, he competed in his debut professional match against Marius Pislariu. By technical knockout, he triumphed. After then, he continued to prevail in combat.
He took home three victories in 2019, two in 2020, and one in 2021. After that, he was given a chance to compete in Dana White’s Contender Series, thanks to his outstanding professional MMA accomplishments.
Before making his MMA debut as a professional, Anton Turkalj competed in amateur matches. He participated in amateur MMA tournaments held by the IMMAF, SMMAF, and the Battle of Copenhagen.
Anton Turkalj Net Worth In 2022
The amount of Anton Turkalj’s wealth is unknown. However, the beginner support website estimates that despite being a UFC fighter, his net worth is between $1 and $5 million.
Swedish fighter Anton “The Pleasure Man” Turkalj, age 26, has an 8-0-0 pro-MMA record. On Saturday, September 10, 2022, the Turkish compete against Jailton Almeida at UFC 279 in a catchweight match. On Saturday, September 10, 2022, Jailton Almeida will compete in a catchweight contest at UFC 279.
With an 88% finish record in his eight victories, Anton Turkalj has five knockouts, two submissions, and one decision victory.
