Kaue Fernandes will finally re-enter the octagon after a 11-month hiatus at UFC 330, and he expects to prove the world he’s top-10 material by beating Jalin Turner on Aug. 15 in Philadelphia.
Fernandes was last seen in the cage in Sept. 2025, when he chopped down Harry Hardwick’s leg with calf kicks to earn a $50,000 performance bonus in Paris. Hardwick was a late-notice replacement after Fares Ziam withdrew from the bout following death in his family, and Fernandes said many attempts by the UFC to book him against top-ranked foes didn’t come to fruition.
“Before this win, they were already trying to match me up with guys ranked in the top 10,” Fernandes told MMA Fighting, declining to say who turned it down. “Maybe it’s a mistake on my part, but I’ve never wanted to be the guy who talks. Maybe that’s even a mistake on my part, but I’m going to keep that mindset until the end of my career. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve never wanted to be the guy who talks trash, but there were definitely guys who turned me down in the top 10. So they were already trying to match me up with top-10 guys.”
According to Fernandes, “it wasn’t just one guy, it was about three” top-ranked lightweights passing on a fight with him.
“I don’t believe it was fear, because these are guys who fight some really tough opponents,” Fernandes said. “That’s what I’m telling you. It’s not that they’re afraid. It’s more like, ‘I’m here, I could be fighting for the belt, so why would I fight a guy who’s not even ranked?’ But if the guy thought it was going to be easy money, he would’ve gone there and taken the fight, right? It happened, and I’m not going to say [who they were]. Maybe I’ll talk about it further down the line. That’s just my style, not talking about these things. Let one of them talk shit about me first [laughs].”
“It’s going to be a fight, and only God knows what will happen,” he continued. “I have a lot of faith in my victory and in God’s plans, but if I beat him, I think it’s going to be very hard for them not to match me up with someone in the top 15, at the very least. Maybe even someone in the top 10, you know? I believe I’ll already be right at the top of the division. I really believe that.”
The Nova União talent knows that being vocal and noisy in interviews and social media could boost his name and lead to better match-ups and opportunities, and saying the names that allegedly turned down those offers could create drama and engagement. He, however, prefers an old-school approach to the game.
“I’ve never liked that,” Fernandes said. “I’m passionate about fighting. I see it as something about warriors, samurais, honor. I see Brazilian fighters respecting each other, and I think that’s really cool. There are plenty of foreigners for us to beat up, and we’re going to have Brazilians trash-talking other Brazilians? You know what I mean? Obviously, Brazilian rivalries have a little extra spice to them too, I recognize that, but I think that respect is beautiful.
“I feel a lot of recognition coming from the UFC, and I clearly feel that they want to give me fights that are moving me up the ladder. I think the UFC knows my work. And as far as having exciting fights, that’s something I do naturally. I don’t try to be exciting. I’m exciting by nature. It’s kind of hard for me to have a boring fight because of my style. Even though, if I have to be a little more strategic and boring, I’ll do it, because at the end of the day I just want to win. But even that is difficult for me, to be strategic and boring.”
Fernandes said he used the time away to improve as a “freestyle” mixed martial artist, aiming to once again impress after winning his past three in the UFC against Mohammad Yahya, Guram Kutateladze and Hardwick, two of those by knockout.
“The Tarantula” Turner, on the other hand, hopes to keep the momentum going after knocking out Edson Barboza in one round to rebound from consecutive stoppage defeats to Renato Moicano and Ignacio Bahamondes.
“He’s at a high level, but I already belong at that level,” Fernandes said. “I just have to go in there and show it. I have a lot of respect for Jalin Turner, and it’s a great honor for me to fight him. It’s an honor to fight a fighter at this level, but the greatest honor is beating him, you know? It’s a dream come true. It’s my first numbered event, and I’m very happy about the opportunity. It’s a big challenge.”