UFC News & FeaturesWellington Turman: ‘It Makes No Sense to Fight Just for the Sake of Fighting’
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Full name?
Wellington Turman.
Date of birth?
July 22, 1996.
Nickname?
“The Prodigy.” My manager picked the nickname for me since I started out so young. I was already a professional at age 18. Everything happened very quickly. I signed with the UFC by the time I was 21.
Height?
1.83 m / 6’0”
Fighting weight?
84 kg / 185 lbs.
Team?
Teixeira MMA.
Where were you born and where do you live today?
I was born in Curitiba (state of Parana), Brazil. Today I live in Danbury [Conn.], USA.
Can you talk about how you become a professional MMA fighter?
It’s crazy. I never imagined I’d be a fighter. I started training just to lose weight. I was never one for street fights. I’ve always been very tranquil. I feel that most professional fighters start out as street brawlers and join the sport to settle down. I’m the opposite. I found an academy to initially help me lose weight. Sometimes it's serendipity. My first instructor happened to rent an apartment from my father, above where we lived. My brother saw that he was a muay Thai black belt. He thought that was very cool and decided to take a class. I came along. I fell in love with the sport in about a month. After a couple of years, my brother stopped going. But I took it seriously, to the point of becoming a professional. To this day, I still love fighting.
Did you receive support from your friends and family in your chosen profession?
I can’t complain at all. My family has always been very supportive. My parents are separated. I lived with my father. Without my father, I wouldn’t be where I am today. If I needed money for travel or food, my father was always there. My father was both emotionally and financially supportive – all my family, actually. Even if the sport was always popular in Brazil, sponsorships weren’t easy to come by. At the same time, I always hustled to get things on my own terms. I do value the emotional support and encouragement I received, especially after losses. My family are my biggest fans. I feel very thankful to God for having good friends and family on my journey.
What lessons have you learned from your few professional losses?
To lose is a horrible thing. Other people may not be able to relate. It’s especially hard for athletes, since we’re so competitive. Before joining the UFC, I had two professional losses. They were useful in letting me know that I still had work to do. I was a kid. Today, I have an athlete’s mindset. My goal became not just to enter the UFC, but to stay in the UFC. With both of those losses, I had been on a nice winning streak. I felt I was on the cusp of getting into the UFC. Then I’d lose by decision. Finally, after winning four in a row, I got signed by the UFC [in 2019]. I had serious jitters on my debut [a split loss to Karl Roberson]. Even the UFC matchmaker said he thought I had won. It was a controversial loss. Then I won the next one [against Markus Perez]. This was followed by two losses in a row [to Andrew Sanchez and Bruno Silva]. This had never happened to me before. But everything happens for a reason. I won’t make excuses. Those guys were better on fight night. I had never been knocked out before in my life. I saw that something had to change. That’s when I decided to move to the U.S., where athletes have much better resources. I felt I had to train with people at the highest level. Now I train with Glover Teixeira, Alex “Poatan” Pereira, Caio Magalhaes, and lot of awesome guys. Having training partners on that level is a huge help when it comes to actual fights. I’m still in touch with my original coach. I’m very thankful but sometimes you have to take a different path. As soon as moved [to Connecticut], I got booked against Sam Alvey. I was mostly doing physical conditioning when I got booked, since I was busy with my move. Glady, I won that fight. It was a tough three-round bout. I’m very happy right now to be with my new team. I feel I’m ready to start a new winning streak.
What can you say about your next opponent, Rodolfo Vieira?
Brazilian fans feel divided when it’s Brazilian vs. Brazilian. They don’t like to see that. But it does show that Brazil has so much top talent that it’s unavoidable that we’ll have to fight each other in the UFC. It’s our job. Rodolfo is a guy who comes from grappling. He has several titles. We respect him a lot. He’s very dangerous. I love this booking. He’s a big name. It’s good for me. I’m also a grappler. If I were simply a striker, I might be afraid. But MMA isn’t just jiu-jitsu. It’s very different. There are a variety of strikes that can be used when in your opponent’s guard, and even if he’s on top. The fans should really enjoy this one.
Can you share some details about your training?
I now train at Teixeira MMA with Glover Teixeira. It’s an excellent academy. Alex "Poatan" Pereira is also here. He’s currently in the UFC. We also train with UFC veteran Caio Magalhaes. It’s an excellent team. I learn something new every day I train with Glover. I’m looking forward to showing off all my new skills.
It will be about five months between this fight and your previous one. Could you have come back sooner?
It took some time for me to come back. I threw a kick against Sam Alvey and dislocated my big toe. It tore through the skin. I needed stitches. It needed time to recover. I couldn’t train for a month after that. A toe may seem like a small thing, but we use it in all training. I had to remain idle until the doctor gave me the go-ahead to return. In a way, it was good that I couldn’t come back to fighting right away. It gave me more time to learn new things, which is exactly why I moved to the United States. It makes no sense to fight all the time, just for the sake of fighting. I’m still young. I have much time left in my career. I want to take fights when the time is right. The important thing is to keep learning and to evolve every day.
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