Athletes
Torrez Finney’s Road To Redemption
Dana White’s Contender Series Grad Fought Three Times On The Tuesday Night Show Before Solidifying Spot In The UFC
“You’d get absolutely decimated in the UFC with the performance you put on tonight.”
Those were the harsh, yet honest, words from UFC CEO Dana White to Torrez Finney following his second stint and second win on Dana White’s Contender Series.
The 26-year-old’s first appearance on the show was in 2023, when the undefeated prospect improved to 6-0 with a second-round submission win over Yuri Panferov. Typically, a performance like that would almost guarantee a contract, but with Finney being relatively young in the sport, White recommended he gain more experience outside of the UFC.
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Finney returned to the Tuesday night series less than a year later, still undefeated. However, after fighting just once between appearances on the show, his second performance fell short of expectations.
“You were here last year, and my recommendation to you was to go out and get some experience,” White told Finney. “You’re young, you’re obviously talented, you’re now 9-0. You got one fight. You went out and in one year fought one fight.
“Your performance last year was better than this performance. You’re 25 years old, kid, you’re obviously a talented athlete, go out and get three or four fights this year, then come back and talk to us about the UFC. You gassed out tonight, you had a tough time getting through three rounds. You’re not ready for the UFC.”
Finney didn’t take those words personally. He recognized that his performance, not his overall talent, warranted such a response. Finney later told the media that he faces elite talent every day in the gym and plans to use White’s words as “fuel” for the next stage of his career.
READ: Fight By Fight Preview
Determined to prove himself, Finney was ready to jump back into the regional scene and secure a few more wins when a surprise opportunity arose for a third appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series just six weeks later.
This time, Finney showed why he belongs in the UFC’s middleweight division. Seconds into the opening round, Finney slipped a left hook from his opponent, Abdellah Er-Ramy, and secured the only takedown he would need for the entire fight.
For the next four minutes, Finney worked for submissions, landed ground-and-pound strikes and completely controlled Er-Ramy on the mat. With under a minute remaining in the round, Finney postured up and delivered a flurry of ground-and-pound strikes before the referee stepped in to stop the fight. The victory marked three wins in three appearances on the show.
“Sometimes you have doors that close, and God sometimes will ask you how bad do you want to get through that door,” Finney said. “I just felt like, for this entire year, lots of ups and downs, and I showed how bad I want to get to the other side of that door and tonight I had the ability to showcase it.”
White had far more encouraging words for Finney this time around.
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“You brought a different energy tonight than you did the last two fights,” White said. That’s how you do it. Get over here. Welcome to the UFC.”
As Finney prepares for his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Murphy, he says that his third performance on Dana White’s Contender Series reflects the energy he will bring to the Octagon from here on out. He’s ready to prove it this Saturday against The Ultimate Fighter Season 32 middleweight finalist Robert Valentin.
UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Murphy took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 5, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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