Torrez Finney recently disclosed that his third opportunity to join the UFC via Dana White's Contender Series ultimately stopped him from committing to another promotion.
Despite securing a unanimous decision victory over Cam Rowston at DWCS 68 on August 20, Finney found himself overlooked for a UFC contract by Dana White for the second time. The UFC CEO harshly criticized "The Punisher" in a segment that swiftly made headlines for its blunt severity.
Additionally, White expressed disappointment that Finney had only taken one fight since his initial DWCS appearance last October, where he secured a second-round submission against Yuri Panferov. However, the door hasn’t closed on Finney just yet. He’s set to make his comeback on October 1, facing Abdellah Er-Remy in episode eight.
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Finney will have a rare third chance to clinch a UFC contract—an opportunity granted to only a select few fighters. However, this chance comes at a cost, as he had to forgo a more lucrative deal to chase his UFC dreams...
During a recent interview with Inside Fighting, Finney revealed that just before receiving a call from his manager for the DWCS fight, he was on the verge of finalizing a deal with another promotion. However, he decided to walk away from it, choosing instead to chase his ultimate dream of fighting in the UFC.
Not going to point them out, but I was actually almost in the process of signing with another promotion," Finney said. "Big deal, great pay. I was actually getting close to making that announcement, and then I get a phone call from Malki [Kawa] from First Round Management, and he's like, 'Have you signed that contract yet?' I said, 'No, not yet.' He's like, 'Well, hold on,' and I was like, 'All right, what is it?' 'Cause there’s only one thing, there could only be one possible promotion that could hold me off from that. And I said, 'What?' And there was the opportunity. He told me all the details behind it, and I talked with my team. You know, I'm gonna be honest, I was happy.
"The Punisher" went on to express his excitement for the upcoming fight but admitted that his family is no longer supporting his pursuit of the UFC dream, especially after White’s harsh criticism.
My team was behind me, but my family—they are not the biggest Dana White fans—and they were no longer on the side of me ever pursuing the UFC. Necessarily, like, obviously, they would support wherever I fight, but with the UFC, it was like, 'Man, forget that,' based off his comments. But I didn't feel that way; I never have any personal issues with Dana… If you look at the opportunity, based off of what you see—an opportunity to be the first guy ever to go 3-0 in the Contender Series—the story, it hit so big. Right now, I'm 25, so let's go for it. I didn't think twice about it.
Finney boasts an undefeated 9-0 record in his MMA career, with seven of those victories coming by way of stoppage. He made his professional debut in February 2022, taking on Wesley McCracken under the Conflict MMA banner.
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