Anton Turkalj

Overview

Anton Turkalj has a UFC record of 0-4, and he has still been the one doing the grappling in the fights that have gone the distance. The Swedish light heavyweight, known as "The Pleasure Man," is 8-4-0 as a professional across all promotions, but his UFC run has been a hard one: four fights, four losses, two by KO/TKO, one by submission and one by decision.

He carries a four-fight losing streak into his next fight.

UFC Career

Turkalj's path to the UFC went through Dana White's Contender Series 6.1, where he beat Acacio Dos Santos by unanimous decision on July 26, 2022. That fight sits outside his UFC record.

The UFC debut came six weeks later at UFC 279, against Jailton Almeida. Our model rates Almeida as a strong opponent, and he submitted Turkalj in the first round at 4:27. A decision loss to Vitor Petrino followed at UFC Fight Night in March 2023, a full three rounds that went the distance.

The two most recent defeats were stoppages. Tyson Pedro knocked him out in the first round at UFC 293, at 2:12. Ibo Aslan finished him by KO/TKO in the third round at 1:32 in March 2024.

Four fights is a small sample. It is also a clean one: no wins, and two of the four losses ended inside the distance.

Fighting Style

Turkalj is a wrestling-minded fighter who looks to take the fight to the mat. He shoots for takedowns far more often than most, and that shapes how he fights. His own striking is low-volume, and he lands less than most of his opponents.

The trade-off is on defense. He gets taken down more than most, so his wrestling is more about offense than about keeping the fight where he wants it. He rarely hunts for submissions, so his takedowns tend to be about control rather than finishing.

His striking defense and accuracy are about what you would expect from a typical UFC fighter, and he is hard to hit relative to how little he throws.

He has no UFC wins yet. His four losses came by KO/TKO (two), submission and decision, so there is no single way opponents have beaten him.

Quick Facts

• Division: Light Heavyweight
• UFC record: 0-4
• Professional record (all promotions): 8-4-0
• UFC debut: September 2022
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height: 6'4"
• Reach: 78"
• Born: Gothenburg, Sweden