Torrez Finney had to run the gauntlet on Dana White’s Contender Series before he was finally awarded his UFC contract.
After building an impressive resume throughout his first five professional MMA fights, Torrez Finney was offered the chance to fight on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Despite picking up a win over Yuri Panferov, UFC boss Dana White opted against giving ‘The Punisher’ a UFC contract.
The 26-year-old took himself back to the regional scene and scored another impressive first-round knockout, once again showcasing his wrestling and ground-and-pound style.
Torrez Finney finally set to make his full UFC debut
Once he picked up his sixth win, White once again gave him a fight on Contender Series against Israel Adesanya‘s teammate, Cam Rowston.
Finney dominated the City Kickboxing product, sailing to a unanimous decision win, but was once again snubbed by White, who once again didn’t give him a contract after he stated his disappointment in Finney only fighting once after his first opportunity.
Not only that, but White warned Finney that he would get ‘absolutely decimated’ in the UFC, putting his performance on blast.
Despite his harsh criticism, the UFC boss decided to give Finney one last chance on Contender Series against Abdellah Er-Ramy. The Chattanoogan scored another first round knockout, leaving White no choice this time round other than to sign him.
And now, the 26-year-old unbeaten prospect will finally make his debut in the UFC gloves when he takes on Robert Valentin this coming Saturday at UFC Vegas 105.
Torrez Finney dons one of the most unique builds in the UFC
Despite fighting at 185lbs, Finney is only 5’8″ tall, making him an extremely unique and tough puzzle to prepare for, especially when he has a 75.5″ reach.
Valentin will likely be towering over ‘The Punisher’ when they step into the Octagon on Saturday night, as the Swiss fighter stands at 6’2″ tall.
Finney used to compete in American Football when he was at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Finney played at running back and was a staggering 230lbs.
