UFC 325 · February 1, 2026 · Sydney
Finney Tore His ACL and Both Menisci 15 Seconds In — Then Fought Three Rounds
Torrez Finney sustained tears to his ACL and both menisci 15 seconds into his fight against Jacob Malkoun at UFC 325 in Sydney on February 1, 2026. He completed all three rounds, lost on the judges' scorecards, and was taken to surgery in Australia the next day. His surgeon's assessment of his ability to compete on that knee structure was, simply: "insane."
What happened at UFC 325
Torrez Finney and Jacob Malkoun met in a middleweight contest on the UFC 325 card in Sydney, headlined by the Lopes vs. Volkanovski title rematch. In the first exchange of the fight — 15 seconds in — Finney suffered the injury. Whether from a takedown attempt, a defensive movement, or a striking exchange, his ACL ruptured and both menisci were torn in the same event or series of rapid events. This level of concurrent damage — ACL plus both the medial and lateral menisci — typically suggests a force combining rotation, compression, and valgus loading simultaneously.
Finney chose to continue. He fought three complete rounds on a knee with no functional ACL, no medial meniscus, and no lateral meniscus — the full passive stabilising apparatus of the joint was gone. He lost the decision to Malkoun. The following day, he underwent surgery in Australia. Post-surgery, his doctor characterised his ability to complete the fight as "insane."
What the injury involves clinically
An ACL tear alone produces significant rotational instability — the knee gives way during pivoting, cutting, and directional changes. Both menisci torn in addition means there is no cartilaginous cushioning or load distribution on either the medial or lateral compartment. The joint rides directly on the cartilaginous surface of the femur and tibia, with no interposed shock absorber. This is structurally analogous to running a bearing without its race.
Completing a three-round fight under these conditions without catastrophic joint failure or vascular compromise is at the extreme end of what has been documented in combat sport. Dynamic muscular stabilisation — the knee muscles contracting to compensate for absent passive restraints — can maintain functional joint competency briefly under controlled conditions. Sustaining this for three rounds of elite MMA, including takedowns, ground exchanges, and striking, is genuinely unusual.
The surgical decision the following day would have involved ACL reconstruction plus meniscal repair (attempting to suture both menisci back) or meniscal repair of the repairable zone combined with meniscectomy where repair was not viable. Preserving both menisci through repair is the preferred outcome for a young athlete, as loss of both menisci dramatically accelerates arthritic change; but repair feasibility depends on tear pattern and tissue quality after the injury event.
Recovery timeline and what comes next
ACL reconstruction with bilateral meniscal repair carries a recovery timeline of 14–18 months for return to contact sport — longer than either injury managed alone. The meniscal repairs require a conservative early rehabilitation programme (restricted deep knee flexion for 6 weeks, graduated weight-bearing), and the ACL reconstruction adds its own milestone requirements at 9–12 months. Return to full competition at any level before the 14-month mark would require exceptionally favourable healing and full objective criteria being met.
Finney's case also raises the question of long-term joint health: competing on a completely destabilised knee for three rounds creates compressive joint loading without any meniscal buffering. Articular cartilage damage from this event — separate from the ACL and meniscal pathology — is a clinical concern that post-operative MRI and arthroscopic assessment will characterise.
Full Rehab Guide
ACL Tear with Meniscus Damage
Full clinical guide to combined ACL and meniscus injuries — how the two co-occur, meniscal repair vs. meniscectomy, and the 12–18 month rehabilitation arc when both are managed surgically.