LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Dana White[/autotag] saw a different [autotag]Torrez Finney[/autotag] at Dana White’s Contender Series 74.
The third time was the charm for Finney (10-0), who finally was able to impress White and earn a UFC contract after stopping Abdellah Er-Ramy (7-2) by first-round TKO on Tuesday at the UFC Apex.
Finney’s first attempt at a UFC contract came in October 2023 when he defeated Yuri Panferov by TKO. He was told then by White that he needed more development. Finney returned to DWCS this season in August and beat Cam Rowston by unanimous decision. That still wasn’t enough to earn Finney a UFC contract as he was heavily criticized by White for his lack of activity between DWCS appearances.
“The way that I try to set my mind when I come into this thing, there’s no bias,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters on Tuesday at the UFC Apex. “When a guy comes in for the third time, I lean more on the side of respect, the fact he’s coming back and saying, ‘OK, then I need to prove myself again.’
“I went through his whole family and him. You can’t deny that kid showed up with a completely different energy tonight. Not just fighting, just his whole attitude and personality were completely different tonight.”
After Finney’s second DWCS appearance in August, he was told by White that he’d get “absolutely decimated” in the UFC.
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” White said after signing Finney. “I told him, ‘You did not impress me. I think you’d get destroyed in this division over here.’ And he went back and, you know, he came back and handled business.”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for DWCS 74.