Jalin Turner's favorite fighter of all time is a man largely considered the GOAT by many in the MMA community. Anderson Silva served as an inspiration for the now-UFC fighter as he started the sport.

Watching YouTube videos of Anderson Silva's striking helped Jalin Turner turn into a UFC fighter. When he started, he didn't even have a punching bag, he did the best he could with what he had at home. Turner explained the process on The MMA Hour earlier this week.

“So I ended up training in my backyard,” Turner said. “I didn’t have a punching bag or anything. I had a couch. I stood my couch on end, I’d stand it up tall-wise and I’d use that as my punching bad. I’d watch videos of Anderson Silva, KwonKicker, Shane Fazen, and just learn techniques on my own. That’s how I developed my striking — on my own, for the most part.”

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Flashforward to 2016, Jalin Turner was turning into quite the MMA fighter and he had the UFC in his sights. The California native received a phone call from Michael Bisping's team in California and he was forced to make a decision.

Michael Bisping was set to fight Anderson Silva in the main event at UFC London. The Englishman needed a long and tricky striker that could emulate Silva, Jalin Turner needed the money and he helped ‘The Count' prepare to fight his hero.

“I was a hungry, young kid. I had to pay the bills,” Turner explained when asked why he accepted the opportunity.

“In the beginning, I was like, ‘Damn, I feel like I’m betraying my hero, my idol,’ you know?” Turner continued. “But at the same time I was like, ‘Bisping’s paying me, I can’t say no.’”