After an ugly win in his debut, Jones County's Finney has something to prove in second UFC battle
When Torrez Finney finally got a shot and made his full-fledged UFC debut last April, reviews weren’t raving.
Heavy with a wrestling-first skill-set, Finney won by decision over Robert Valentin, and responded to criticism simply: “I’d rather have an ugly W than a good L.”
The Jones County grad and multi-sport standout gets his next chance to avoid the ugly on Saturday night when he takes on Jacob Malkoun in UFC 325 in Sydney, Australia.
Finney’s meeting with Malkoun is part of a full undercard at UFC 325, on Paramount + late Saturday night.
Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes is the main event on a full slate of 14 bouts. The preliminary card – four bouts - starts around 7 p.m. EST on Paramount +.
From UFC.Com: It’s a homecoming for Sydney’s own Jacob Malkoun as the veteran returns to action in a clash with undefeated Contender Series grad Torrez Finney.
“Mamba” has been sidelined for nearly two years, but has won four of his last six and looked poised to make a push in the middleweight division before injuries halted his momentum. Unbeaten in 11 pro fights, Finney needed three DWCS wins to land a place on the roster and then added to his run of success with a grimy decision win over Robert Valentin in his maiden trip into the Octagon last April.
From sports.betmgm.com: “A unanimous decision win for Finney over Malkoun is my prediction for this match, as the former uses his top-level wrestling to overpower opponents. This allows him to dominate them on the ground.
“In his last two matches, Finney has ragdolled his opponents and dominated them on the ground with several submission attempts and ground-and-pound strikes. But due to his inexperience and youth, his knack for finishing his opponents still needs polishing.
“This lack of urgency to finish opponents is the reason why I think this match ends in a decision. Unless Finney catches Malkoun with a sleek submission or a crucifix to rain down strikes on the ground, the match will be stretched to three rounds.”