Torrez Finney has his first UFC task.
After three wins on Dana White’s Contender Sequence, Finney (10-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was awarded a contract in October. Six months later, he’ll make his promotional debut when he battles “TUF 32” runner-up Robert Valentin (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in a middleweight matchup April 5. UFC Battle Night time 256 is anticipated to happen on the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Each fighters confirmed the matchup on social media after an preliminary report Saturday by Eurosport NL.
Finney, 26, first entered the worldwide highlight in 2023 when he defeated Yuri Panferov on DWCS. Dana White advised Finney he wished him to construct up expertise earlier than signing. Finney returned to the regional scene with a thunderous knockout, then defeated Cam Rowston on DWCS in 2024. White was vital of Finney’s efficiency and pointed to just one regional struggle taken between DWCS seasons.
Nevertheless, after White’s feedback, Finney defined in interviews that he was tied up on account of a dedication to “The Final Fighter” actuality present that didn’t come to fruition. The promotion gave him a 3rd DWCS shot and he defeated Abdellah Er-Ramy by first-round TKO. White acknowledged the error in judgement and supplied Finney a contract.
Valentin, 29, represented his house nation of Switzerland nicely on “The Final Fighter 32” as he completed Giannis Bachar and Paddy McCorry in beneath 4 minutes mixed to succeed in the season remaining. Nevertheless, American wrestler Ryan Loder upset him within the remaining with a second-round TKO.
With the addition, the UFC Battle Night time 256 lineup for April 5 contains:
- Luis Gurule vs. Ode Osbourne
- Daniel Frunza vs. Rhys McKee
- Dione Barbosa vs. Diana Belbita
- Ariane Carnelossi vs. Loma Lookboonmee
- Talita Alencar vs. Vanessa Demopoulos
- Torrez Finney vs. Robert Valentin
For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC Battle Night time 256.
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