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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

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Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Torrez Finney might just be the biggest story of Contenders Series 2024.

The 25-year-old “Punisher” appeared on Contenders Series for the first time in October 2023, picking up a rear naked choke win but failing to score a contract from UFC CEO Dana White. After picking up another win on the regional scene, Finney picked up his second Octagon victory a few weeks ago in August, but White heavily critiqued his performance and questioned his dedication.

Finney argued his case against White’s “flawed logic” well, revealing the circumstances behind his inactivity. In response, White booked him on Contenders Series for a third time, pitting him against Abdellah Er-Ramy earlier on Tuesday (Oct. 1, 2024). In yet another strong performance, Finney was able to use his wrestling to pound out Er-Ramy towards the end of the fight round.

Check out the highlight clip below:

After the win, Finney’s detractor White acknowledged his performance and finish. Given he made Contender Series history as the first fighter to rack up 3-0 wins on the show, it was only appropriate that Finney finally scored a UFC contract.

“My boy Torrez,” White began. “Listen to me kid. You, Uncle Snoop, Aunt Didi, Coach Larry, Uncle BayBay, Mom and Dad — none of you can disagree with me. You brought a different energy tonight than you did the last two fights. That’s how ya do it! Get over here, welcome to the UFC!”

Now 10-0 as a professional, Finney should be expected to make his official UFC debut either late this year or in the first quarter of 2025. How high do you think “Punisher” can climb at 185 pounds?

Insomnia

In the end, Bryan Battle won over the crowd too.

Teofimo Lopez can always be counted upon for a funny quote.

New rules are coming in one month! How long until we see the first UFC fighter get legally smoked by a knee despite one hand being on the canvas?

This reminds me: now that Demetrious Johnson is retired, we need to see what his secret “Mouse Trap” move is/was!

Light sparring between elite strikers.

Good luck outrunning Michael Bisping even after all his surgeries. The champion put in his roadwork!

The most kickboxing headline of all time.

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Threw that left hook from his back pocket …

A cool move that you see sometimes in collegiate wrestling or BJJ but rarely in MMA. Jon Jones did it to Ryan Bader though!

A-Frame on the floor into grounded knees — nasty!

Random Land

Quite the cave.

Midnight Music: Folk rock, 1967

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Past opponents Alex Pereira and Sean Strickland have reunited once again ahead of Pereira’s next title defense in new sparring footage.

Pereira is set to defend the UFC light heavyweight title against Khalil Rountree this Saturday in the main event of UFC 307 in Salt Lake City. The two former middleweight champions met up in the host city for the pay-per-view card to engage in a hard five-minute round just days before the card.

Check out the sparring session in the video above.

Pereira and Strickland met in a pivotal 185-pound clash at UFC 276 in July 2022, where “Poatan” earned his first championship opportunity with a vicious first-round knockout victory. Pereira went on to capture the title in his next fight over Israel Adesanya at UFC 281 four months later, before dropping the belt back to Adesanya at UFC 287 the following April in Pereira’s final middleweight bout.

Strickland would dethrone Adesanya five months after that in a stunning upset at UFC 293.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Torrez Finney finally earned his spot in the UFC.

On Tuesday night, the eighth episode of season eight of Contender Series took place in Las Vegas at the UFC APEX, and after five fights, UFC CEO Dana White handed out contracts to all five winners.

The most notable of the contracts was Finney who already won twice on Contender Series before Tuesday, including a decision win earlier this season. After that win, White ripped Finner for his performance and told him to come back. That turned out to be the motivation Finney needed as he became the first fighter to ever win three ties on the show and finally made his way to the UFC.

Nurgozhay sleeps Szewczyk

In the main event of the evening, Diyar Nurgozhay moved to 10-0 in his career, starching Bartosz Szewczyk with a head kick to earn his shot in the UFC.

Yet another fighter coming from the emerging MMA superpower of Kazakhstan, Nurgozhay entered Contender Series with big hype and for awhile, it looked like he might not live up to up. But after a controlled first round where Nurgozhay found his range, in the second the 27-year-old fighter delivered a thunderous head kick that immediately floored Szewczyk and landed the undefeated fighter in the UFC.

Montes submits Calderon

In the penultimate fight of the evening, Alberto Montes scored his fourth submission in a row, locking up an anaconda choke on Carlos Calderon to earn his spot in the UFC.

Originally set to compete on Contender Series years ago, Montes finally got his shot on Tuesday and he made the most of it, showing off crisp counter-boxing against the frenetic offense of Calderon. But it was Montes’s grappling which really stood out as he repeatedly dove for D’Arce chokes, anacondas, and even a Peruvian necktie, before ultimately finding the anaconda choke against a gassed Calderon, forcing a tap.

Martinez outclasses Franklin

In the third fight of the evening, David Martinez won a very fun fight against Xavier Franklin to earn a unanimous decision and a UFC contract.

A former Combate champion, Martinez is also the brother of UFC fighter Melissa Martinez, and the undefeated fighter made a compelling case to join his sister in the promotion with his impressive kickboxing display. From the opening bell Martinez darted around the cage, chopping Franklin’s leg and landing combinations with his punches that busted Franklin up and led to Martinez winning every single round.

Finney runs over Er-Ramy

In the second bout of the evening, Torrez Finney became the first fighter in Contender Series history to record three wins as he demolished Abdellah Er-Ramy in the first round.

Earlier this season, Finney scored a lackluster win that drew criticism from Dana White. This time around, there were no such issues as Finney bulldozed right through Er-Ramy, scoring a takedown and dominating him on the ground with submission attempts and punches before moving to the back mount and finish the fight with a series of big shots to the defenseless fighter. That finish proved to be just the ticket to finally get Finney into the UFC as White effusively praised his performance afterward.

Smith cruises past Savoie

In the opening bout of the evening, Jacobe Smithe delivered a dominant performance against Christien Savoie, stopping the Canadian fighter with elbows in the second round to earn a UFC contract.

A former D-1 All-American wrestler out of Oklahoma State, Smith entered Contender Series as one of the biggest favorites this season and the standout wrestler delivered, taking Savoie down early and often and pummeling him with elbows. Savoie fought on valiantly but was simply overmatched and in the second round, referee Mark Smith stopped the fight after repeated elbows.

Check out the DWCS week 8 results below.

Diyar Nurgozhay def. Bartosz Szewczyk via knockout (head kick) — R2, 3:32

Alberto Montes def. Carlos Calderon via submission (anaconda choke) — R2, 2:38

David Martinez def. Xavier Franklin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Torrez Finney def. Abdellah Er-Ramy via TKO (punches) — R1, 4:10

Jacobe Smith def. Christien Savoie via TKO (elbows) — R2, 2:55

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts