LAS VEGAS – Winning in your UFC debut is every fighter’s dream, but for the undefeated Torrez Finney, it turned into a nightmare with the reaction to his performance.
After three victories on Dana White’s Contender Series, Finney (11-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) finally had his chance to step into the Octagon. His debut split decision win against Robert Valentin is a fight he wants to put behind him quickly.
“I’d rather have an ugly win than a good loss,” Finney told reporters at the post-fight news conference. “I was confident in my grappling skills, but I missed a lot of opportunities on the ground. I need to work on executing better and not giving my opponent too much confidence.”
While Finney was able to control Valentin (10-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on the ground with slams and takedowns, he struggled to inflict significant damage. Despite holding his opponent down for the majority of the fight, Finney landed only four significant strikes, setting a record for the lowest output in a three-round decision.
“I felt like I messed up,” Finney admitted. “I’m not sure why I couldn’t unleash more offense from dominant positions. Whether it was nerves or something else, I need to improve for my next fight.”
Reflecting on his performance, Finney acknowledged that it was not up to his usual standards. However, he remains optimistic about his future in the UFC and is determined to learn and grow from this experience.
“It was a disappointing performance, but I have to take the win and use it as motivation to improve,” Finney said. “I’ve only been fighting since October 2020, so there’s still a lot of room for growth. I’ll bounce back stronger next time.”
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