UFC 290 results: Dan Hooker rallies to beat Jalin Turner in grueling, frantic brawl

Dan Hooker’s blond hair turned pink as a result of the blood splatter in an insane UFC 290 brawl vs. Jalin Turner.

Fans at T-Mobile Arena were treated to a highly-entertaining brawl between two ranked lightweights on the UFC 290 main card Saturday in Las Vegas.

When the dust settled and the blood was cleaned, Hooker (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC) defeated Turner (13-6 MMA, 6-3 UFC) by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28). The bout was a 158-pound catchweight bout because Turner missed weight ahead of the fight.

Technical striking that was seen in Round 1 slowly turned into brawling mayhem in Round 2. Turner was first to land a series of significant blows as he head kicked Hooker before he landed brutal standing elbows.

In the blink of an eye, Hooker turned the tables when he rocked Turner and went on the pursuit. Turner retreated as his strikes became slower and his hands dropped. Hooker snatched a rear-naked choke attempt with a few seconds left on the clock. While it appeared locked in, the buzzer sounded and likely saved Turner from a fight-ending submission.

In Round 3, Turner was visibly tired and potentially still dazed from the Round 2 flurry. Hooker continued to push the action as he chucked bombs at Turner. In a potential desperation move, Turner took Hooker down. Hooker rose back up, however, and went on to get a split decision nod. The dissenting judge was Adalaide Byrd.

After the fight, commentator Joe Rogan asked Hooker if he broke his right arm.

“It’s just a scratch,” Hooker said, with a smile.

With the win, Hooker has won back-to-back fights. In November, he defeated Claudio Puelles via second-round TKO due to body kick. On the flip side, Turner has lost consecutive fights for the first time in his UFC career.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 290 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.