Finney Takes Long Road to UFC via Contender Series

Last Tuesday, 185-lb. prospect Torrez Finney finally earned a coveted UFC contract after three separate appearances on Dana White’s Contender Series over the past year. In the process, “The Punisher” not only punched his ticket to the biggest MMA promotion on the planet, but he also became the first fighter to score three victories on the show. 

From a flawless amateur career, to entering the UFC with a perfect 10-0 resume as a professional, Finney is a fresh and promising young prospect for the middleweight division. Standing 5-foot-8, the 25-year-old should, on paper, be massively outsized for the weight class, but with his stocky frame and 75 1/2-inch  reach, the Agoge Combatives product has remained undefeated. 

The Journey to Contender Series

Although he is regarded as a 185-lb. phenom, Finney actually spent the majority of the first part of his combat sports journey far north of the division. He competed in the light heavyweight and heavyweight ranks for the first four fights of his amateur run, weighing as high as 215 lbs. in one instance. It wasn’t until his final fight before he turned professional that he settled in as a middleweight, winning the Aries Fight Series strap with a first-round submission. 

On Feb 19, 2022, Finney barreled into the big leagues with a strong second round knockout. The Georgia native then embarked on a supremely dominant tear through the southern MMA circuit, scoring five consecutive wins, four of them ending inside the distance. 

Finney Heads to Apex For First Time

After only competing as a professional for a year, Finney received his invitation to fight for a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series for the first time in October 2023. His opponent was then fellow undefeated finisher Yuri Panferov, who possessed a sterling 100 percent stoppage rate.

Stopping the momentum of “The Russian Polar Bear” in its tracks, however, Finney wound up putting away Panferov with a splendid second-round rear naked choke. Sadly, the submission wasn’t enough to convince Dana White to reward him with a contract, with the UFC CEO wanting the young prospect to return to the regional scene to get a little more experience. 

A Second Attempt at a Contract

As it turns out, he really did only need just a little more, as it took Finney just one first round knockout win before he earned another shot on the Contender Series a year later, where he clashed with the 6-foot-2 Cam Rowston. Hailing from the famed City Kickboxing gym, Rowston had all the makings to be a nightmare matchup on the feet for the American. Finney, though, did not give his Australian adversary a chance to let his hands go, as “The Punisher” took Rowston down at will throughout the fight, taking the clear unanimous decision, handing “Van Damme” his first loss in six years. 

Again, Finney had come out on top. Surely now would be the time for the middleweight juggernaut to at last claim his place on the UFC roster? Sadly, White again denied Finney his much-desired contract, stating that while he was an excellent competitor, he would get “absolutely decimated in the UFC” after seemingly gassing out in the bout. 

The Third Time Is the Charm

In an unprecedented turn of events, however, the UFC CEO gave Finney a remarkable third chance to secure a spot in the promotion a mere two months later when he made his third overall appearance on the Contender Series against Abdellah Er-Ramy. In a masterclass performance, Finney dragged his opponent to the ground, and after nearly finishing him with a rear naked choke, closed out the fight with brutal ground and pound in the first round to record his third Contender Series win.

This win proved to be enough for White to finally award “The Punisher” with a long-sought-after UFC contract, remarking how Finney “Showed up with a completely different energy” compared to his previous two showings on the Contender Series.

Final Thoughts

After more than a year and three different fights against opponents with a combined record of 21-3, Finney can call himself a UFC fighter. Although the road to the top will only get more difficult from here, the Southern stoppage specialist has made it abundantly clear that he is one of the top 185-lb. prospects in the world.