Torres Ready to Showcase his Skills to the UFC Audience
After a two-year run as one of the most recognizable and entertaining fighters on the WEC roster, former bantamweight champion Miguel Torres makes his UFC debut Saturday night, kicking of the UFC 126 pay-per-view broadcast against Antonio Banuelos.
The 30-year-old veteran of more than 40 professional fights halted a two-fight losing streak in his last outing, stopping veteran Charlie Valencia via rear naked choke in the second round at WEC 51. Torres looks to build on that win Saturday night, and says he’s not at all nervous about making his UFC debut.
“I have no nerves whatsoever,” Torres told Matt Brown and Jeremy Botter when he joined them on the HeavyMMA podcast earlier in the week. “I’ve been fighting for a long time, I have a lot of experience in the cage. Going out there and fighting for the UFC now is just a bigger audience, a bigger platform for me to showcase my skills and all the things I’ve been working on up here with Firas.”
Following his loss to Joseph Benavidez, Torres decided a change was necessary, and joined forces with Firas Zahabi and the team at Montreal’s TriStar Gym, and the results were noticeable immediately.
An extremely tall fighter for the 135-pound division, Torres used his length more effectively than in the past and followed a more measured approach in the cage, something he plans on doing from here on out in his career.
“My old strategy was always just to go out there and try to make a war; I was trying to impress the fans, promoters. I was trying to put on a big show, and looking back, that was a very young mentality that I had; I didn’t have a coach to tell me anything different, and now, I’m all about fighting a very safe, a very smart and strategic fight.
“I think it’s a lot smarter strategy. In my last fight, it worked out perfectly and I’m looking forward to go out an improve on that gameplan.”
Smart and strategic doesn’t mean boring, as evidenced by Torres’ dominant performance against Valencia. All it means for Torres is putting his considerable tools to better use, and UFC fans will get their first chance to see the bantamweight star do just that on Saturday night.
Tune in to Fight Day Live, our new 90-minute pre-fight show, this Saturday live from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas at 4:30pm ET/1:30pm PT