9/2/24 Notebook: Torrez Finney Gets Second ‘Contender Series’ Chance

Welcome to the notebook, a quick catchup of all the smaller (but still important) stories from the world of MMA!

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Here are the latest stories we’re following:

UFC

• Torrez Finney (9-0), a middleweight prospect who was dramatically denied a UFC contract after winning on “Dana White’s Contender Series” for the second time just a couple of weeks back, is now set for his third appearance on the show. Finney will meet Abdellah Er-Ramy (7-1) on the show’s October 1st episode, giving him another chance to get onto the UFC roster. Finney being denied a contract during this season was one of the show’s most discussed moments so far this year, with UFC CEO Dana White brutally saying that he wouldn’t be able to beat anyone in the promotion with the style he brought into the cage.
• Two more fights have joined UFC’s September 28th show in Paris, France:
  • Ludovit Klein (22-4-1) will try to keep his strong lightweight streak alive when he meets Nikolas Motta (14-5). Klein has gone undefeated for numerous years, earning five wins and one draw since 2022. His last fight saw him overcome veteran Thiago Moises in June. Brazil’s Motta has a chance to put together a two-fight UFC winning streak for the first time, coming back after a 63-second victory over Tom Nolan from January.
  • Belgium’s Bolaji Oki (9-1) will meet Chris Duncan (11-2) in a lightweight fight. “Dana White’s Contender Series” alum Oki snuck by short-notice opponent Timmy Cuamba via split decision to win his UFC debut in February. Duncan had a four-fight winning streak brought to an end in February when Manuel Torres submitted him in the opening round of a fight.
• Undefeated Brazilian prospect Raffael Cerquiera (11-0) will make his UFC debut at the promotion’s October 26th pay-per-view card in Abu Dhabi against Ibo Aslan (13-1), as recently confirmed by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting. Cerquiera was originally scheduled to be on this year’s season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” but had a few fights fall through before ultimately being fast-tracked to the UFC. He has 11 wins since his 2019 pro debut, most of which have come via finish in Brazil. Turkey’s Aslan won his UFC debut in March with a third-round finish of Anton Turkalj.
• Veteran Pedro Munhoz (20-9) will take on Aiemann Zahabi (11-2) at UFC’s Edmonton card on November 2nd. Canada’s Zahabi has been on a roll for a few years, with an upset victory over Javid Basharat in March extending his winning streak to four in a row. Munhoz will be trying to snap a two-fight skid, which he has developed following losses to Marlon Vera and Kyler Phillips.
• Appearing for the first time since her undefeated run came to an end, Eduarda Moura (11-1) is booked to face Veronica Hardy (9-4-1) at UFC’s November 16th show, per AgFight. Moura suffered a split decision loss to Denise Gomes in June, ending a 10-fight run which included a prior UFC and “Contender Series” win. Hardy has shown the most consistency of her UFC career as of late, with her May win over JJ Aldrich marking her third consecutive victory.

Cage Warriors

• Liam Gittins (13-4) will put his Cage Warriors Bantamweight Championship on the line against Shirzad Qadrian (7-1) at the promotion’s November 15h card in London, England. Gittins has been on an impressive six-fight winning streak in recent years, capturing the promotion’s 135-pound title along the way. He defended the belt for the first time in March, stopping California-based breakout prospect Roberto Hernandez in the fifth round of a bout via rear naked choke. Qadrian is returning after winning the first-ever Cage Warriors “Prizefighter” one-night, four-man tournament in July.
• Three more fights have been added to Cage Warriors 177, which will go down on September 20th:
  • Undefeated English prospect Ollie Sarwa (4-0) will face Percy Herrera (9-8). Sarwa has put together an impressive four wins over the past two years, with none of his fights going longer than two-and-a-half minutes. Herrera has a shakier record than Sarwa, but has pro fights dating back to 2015 and more than a dozen bouts.
  • Fresh off a successful pro debut, Joe Middleton (1-0) will get a Cage Warriors opportunity against Jack Dedames (1-2). Middleton won his debut in 2023, submitting Arthur Jacob with a d’arce choke. Cage Warriors has been trying to book him since March of this year, with a previous bout falling through and delaying his first appearance under their banner. Dedames has gone winless since 2022, including a defeat against “The Ultimate Fighter” alum Omran Chaaban.
  • Long-time Cage Warriors talent Michael Tchamou (4-4) is booked to meet Angus Hewett (1-3). Tchamou broke a three-fight skid and evened his pro record in May with a first-round submission against Joe Ambler. He now faces Hewett, who will be returning after a back-to-back losses in Cage Warriors.

LFA

• High-level bantamweight prospects Justin Wetzell (9-2) and Bekhzod Usmonov (11-4) will headline LFA 195 on October 25th from the Dobson Arena in Vail, Colorado, USA. Usmonov is returning to the regionals after competing on the latest season of “The Ultimate Fighter” as a featherweight. He was eliminated in the quarter-final of the reality show tournament, losing to Zygimantas Ramaska in a back-and-forth war. He’s getting back into pro MMA bouts for the first time since late 2022, looking to extend a two-fight winning streak he built in iKON FC previously. Wetzell is coming back to LFA after earning back-to-back finish wins in the United Fight League last year. Here’s a quick rundown of the five other fights announced for the card thus far:
  • Flyweight prospects Josiah Reyes (4-1) and Kevin Fernandez (7-1) have been matched up for the co-main event. LFA vet Fernandez has strung together four straight finish wins, including a pair of arm triangle submissions in 2023. Reyes bounced back from his sole pro loss last year, beating Jordan Burkholder via decision at LFA 164.
  • Former LFA title challenger Melissa Croden (5-2) is booked to meet Ashley Deen (8-6) at bantamweight. Croden lost a 135-pound division title bout last year to Jacqueline Cavalcanti, not being favored on scorecards after five rounds. She has since returned with a finish win late last year over Katharina Lehner. Deen, a pro of nearly a full decade, will be trying to extend a three-fight run of finish wins.
  • LFA vet Haris Talundzic (6-2) is booked to meet Ovidio Bojorquez (5-3). Talundzic lost in the main event of a card last year, getting finished in the closing moments of the three-round fight against Daniel Frunza. Bojorquez is coming back to the LFA following a five-fight run in Combate Global, earning him three wins and two losses.
  • Keynan Davis (1-1) has the chance to return from his first pro defeat when he meets Isiah Torres (5-2-1). Davis won his pro debut last year, scoring a 43-second stoppage with strikes. However, due to a rib injury, he lost a bout to Chance Ikei just a few months back. He’ll now return against Torres, a more experienced pro who will be making his LFA debut.
  • Alix Fisher (1-0) and Jared Ferrera (0-0) are booked for a lightweight bout. Fisher is coming back after winning his pro debut in less than two minutes earlier this year with strikes.

CFFC

• CFFC has announced a pair of title fights for their return to the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge in New Town, North Dakota, USA on September 27th.
  • Raheam Forest (7-2) will look to regain the CFFC welterweight title in a fight against Gage Saunders (13-5) in the main event. Forest captured the 170-pound division CFFC belt in 2022 with a win over Collin Lubberts, but lost the championship in early 2023 against now-UFC talent Charles Radtke. He’s returning to the promotion after an unsuccessful fight on the 2023 season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” losing to Danny Barlow. Saunders, a champion in Montana-based regional promotion Fusion Fight League, will head into this booking on a five-fight winning streak.
  • Undefeated flyweight prospect Bilal Hasan (4-0) will meet Harris Bonfiglio (7-1) for the promotion’s vacant flyweight title. Hasan has attained an impressive four wins in CFFC since his late 2022 debut, including a first-round finish in June against Shamel Findley. CES vet Bonfiglio hasn’t lost over the past few years and will be aiming for his sixth consecutive regional victory later this month.
  • Long-time CFFC talent Chris Vasil (6-4) is booked to meet John Nguyen (7-4) at featherweight. Vasil, who has fought in CFFC since 2019, is returning after a 2023 title fight loss to Jose Perez. Canada’s Nguyen is riding the momentum of a finish win from March.
  • Rising finisher Tyler Forsythe (4-1) is booked to take on Daniel Gonzales (3-3). Forsythe has earned all four of his wins in less than three minutes and has yet to escape the first round as a pro. Gonzales is heading into CFFC after a win in Texas-based Fury FC two months back.
  • Both returning after a successful pro debut, Dylan Brigman (1-0) and Anthony Jagel (1-0) have been matched up. Jagel’s debut emerged last year, submitting Henry Beltran in less than two minutes. Brigman scored an even quicker 77-second triangle choke win when he debuted two months ago.
  • Lorren Dullum (1-0) and Micaela Rampage (1-3) are set to collide at flyweight. Dullum is returning after winning her pro debut via decision late last year. Rampage will be trying for her first win since 2018, having suffered a trio of losses in recent years.

Misc.

• Former UFC and Bellator fighter Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal won’t come out of combat sports retirement later this month in a bare-knuckle boxing match. While the 43-year-old was expected to meet David Mundell at BKFC 66 on September 13th, MMA Fighting was recently informed of his withdrawal from the card. Lawal was scheduled to search for his first combat sports win since 2017, as he retired from MMA in 2019 following four consecutive finish losses.
• Past UFC bantamweight Vince Morales (16-7) continued his impressive regional run over the weekend, scoring a rare Peruvian Necktie submission against Hunter Azure to capture the United Fight League Bantamweight Championship. Morales has strung together five wins since leaving the UFC in late 2022, including an appearance in RIZIN last year.