Wellington Turman: Lying in Wait

Not all has gone according to plan for Wellington Turman since he arrived in the Ultimate Fighting Championship a little more than three years ago. A 3-3 record within the promotion proves as much.

“It has been a rollercoaster ride,” Turman told Sherdog.com. “I came into the UFC very young, but I wasn’t that young when I started training. I started at 15, and by age 22, I was in the UFC. I didn’t have enough time to gain experience. I lost some of my fights, but I learned from them all and managed to stay in the UFC.

“During those early days, I didn’t have what I have today, which is [the chance] to train with experienced world champions,” he added. “Without a doubt, things will be much better going forward. Right now, my mind is only on winning and working my way up.”

Initial hiccups aside, Turman appears to have turned the corner. The 26-year-old Brazilian will enter the cage on the strength of back-to-back victories when he confronts “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 semifinalist Andre Petroski as part of the UFC 281 undercard on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Turman last competed in February, when he submitted Misha Cirkunov with an armbar in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 202 pairing and banked a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus for his efforts.

“It was a great win,” he said. “It wasn’t easy. It was emotional. I won and won well, with a beautiful submission. I got a bonus. It was great. The money was a big help since I hadn’t fought in a long time due to an injury. My life changed a lot. Here in the United States, I had been living in a single room. Now I’m living in a house, and I can bring my family over. I was able to bring my dog. I’m truly happy. Things are looking up.”

Petroski figures to be a formidable obstacle. The Daniel Gracie protégé owns a perfect 3-0 record in the UFC, with victories over Nick Maximov, Yaozong Hu and Micheal Gillmore.

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“I know it will be a difficult fight,” Turman said. “I’m training hard, as always. I know that he’s very explosive during the first round. He hits hard and has great takedowns. I’m getting ready to defend that and to tire him out. I know he gets tired between rounds after being so explosive. I expect to exploit that in the second round by getting a knockout or submission.”

When Turman threw out his anchor at Teixeira MMA in Danbury, Connecticut, it marked another turning point. There, just 70 miles northeast of Madison Square Garden, he trains alongside former UFC light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira and top middleweight contender Alex Pereira.

“My training has been sensational,” Turman said. “They’re at a level that I want to reach. I learn from them. They guide me. I learn every day. We all have a championship mindset and work hard for it. We all help each other. I feel blessed to be training with this group.”

Having surrounded himself with experience and wisdom, Turman has begun to take more of a slow-burn approach to his development.

“I’m not in a huge hurry,” he said. “My plan is to be world champion one day, but I know I need to learn more. I will fight anyone, but I want to make sure my mind and body are at their peak. I’m not going to rush things. Maybe I’ll truly reach my peak by 30. I want to make more money in the meantime. I want to start facing top fighters in a year or two. That’s my goal. Who knows? With a good win over Andre, maybe the next guy can be in the rankings. When my time comes, I’ll be ready.”