Miguel Torres (fighter)

Miguel Angel Torres (born January 18, 1981) is an American former mixed martial artist. He is a former WEC Bantamweight Champion and has also formerly competed for the UFC and Ironheart Crown. Torres received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from Carlson Gracie Jr. in September 2008.

Background
Torres was born and raised in East Chicago, Indiana. He began training in tae kwon do when he was seven years old and later attended East Chicago Central High School where he competed in wrestling. Torres also trained in boxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Early career
For a number of years Torres fought primarily in small, unsanctioned events held in nightclubs and bars. As a result, much of his early fighting career is undocumented. Prior to signing with the WEC, he fought often on local shows, including the Total Fight Challenge and Ironheart Crown. He held the bantamweight title in both of these organizations for several years and his participation in those events is well documented.

After fighting for several years, Torres sought guidance and training under Carlson Gracie, Sr. As a trainer of many world champions, Gracie immediately recognized Torres's talent and took him on a trip to Brazil where he would publicly issue a challenge to the entire world. Long before Torres gained fame in the WEC, Gracie believed that no one could beat him at 135 pounds.

World Extreme Cagefighting
His first fight with the WEC came on September 5, 2007, against Jeff Bedard. Torres submitted Bedard in the first round with a triangle choke submission and then would go on to publicly request a title shot.

Torres would get one for his next fight and at WEC 32 he fought Chase Beebe for the WEC Bantamweight Championship. Torres displayed great striking and an equally impressive ground game and submitted Beebe in the first round to become the new WEC Bantamweight Champion.

Following his victory over Beebe, Torres successfully defended his title with back-to-back TKO victories; one over Yoshiro Maeda in an exciting fight and the other over the previously undefeated fellow Mexican-American Manny Tapia. It capped off a 2008 where Torres earned Breakthrough Fighter of the Year honors from Sherdog.com.

Torres was next expected to face Brian Bowles in the main event of WEC 40 on April 5, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois. However, Bowles injured and replaced by Japanese newcomer Takeya Mizugaki. Torres defeated Mizugaki by unanimous decision to retain his belt.

Bowles was ringside at WEC 40 and was called out by Torres after his five-round bout with Mizugaki. The fight headlined WEC 42 on August 9, 2009, at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Torres started out strong, but he rushed Bowles wildly, resulting in Torres being knocked out in a huge upset. The loss snapped Torres' streak of 17 consecutive victories and marked his first loss in the Bantamweight division.

On March 6, 2010, at WEC 47, Torres faced and was defeated by Joseph Benavidez, via guillotine choke midway through the second round.

Torres faced Charlie Valencia on September 30, 2010, at WEC 51. He won the fight via submission in the second round.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
On October 28, 2010, the WEC merged with the UFC. As part of the merger, all WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.

Torres made his promotional debut against fellow WEC veteran Antonio Banuelos on February 5, 2011, at UFC 126. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Torres was expected to face English fighter Brad Pickett on May 28, 2011, at UFC 130. However, Pickett was forced out of the bout with an injury and replaced by future UFC Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson. Torres lost to Johnson via unanimous decision (29–28 on all cards). While taken down early in the first round, Torres controlled the first round, but in rounds two and three was outstruck and controlled on the ground, resulting in Johnson receiving the victory.

Torres faced Nick Pace on November 19, 2011, at UFC 139. He dominated Pace, winning a unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27).

On December 8, 2011, it was announced by UFC president Dana White, in an interview with SI.com, that Torres had been cut from the UFC due to the following quote from the TV show Workaholics made on Torres' Twitter page: "If a rape van was called a surprise van more women wouldn't mind going for rides in them. Everyone likes surprises."

On December 28, 2011, it was announced by White after the UFC 141 press conference that Torres was back in the UFC. Regarding Torres' return, White stated that "Torres handled his business like a man and no one told him to do it."

Torres was knocked out by Michael McDonald on April 21, 2012, at UFC 145. After the loss he was once again released from the promotion.

World Series of Fighting
On September 6, 2012, it was announced that Torres was one of many fighters to sign on with the World Series of Fighting. Torres made his WSOF debut on November 3, 2012, at WSOF 1 against Bantamweight prospect Marlon Moraes, he lost via split decision.

For his second fight with the promotion, Torres fought on October 26, 2013, at WSOF 6 against Pablo Alfonso. He lost the fight via submission in the first round.

Independent Promotions
Torres signed with Indiana-based promotion "United Combat League" in early 2014. He faced Giovanni Moljo in his debut fight on February 15, 2014. Torres won the fight via unanimous decision, snapping his three fight losing streak in the process. He then faced Wade Choate at UCL: Torres vs. Choate on May 31, 2014. He won the fight via guillotine choke submission.

Torres faced Takahiro Ashida at Rebel FC 2 on August 1, 2014. He won the fight via split decision.

GLORY
Torres signed with the GLORY kickboxing promotion's Featherweight (-65 kg/143 lb) division in May 2014. He was expected to compete in the Glory 17: Los Angeles - Featherweight Contendership Tournament in Inglewood, California on June 21, 2014 but withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Marcus Vinicius.

Titan Fighting Championship
In early October 2014, it was announced that Torres had signed a contract with Titan Fighting Championship. He made his debut on October 31, 2014, in the main event at Titan FC 31 against Desmond Green. Torres lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Training
Torres owns and operates a mixed martial arts academy in Griffith, Indiana where he teaches nearly 300 students. Among these students are several up and coming fighters whom he trains to fight in the same local shows that he once competed in himself. The academy specializes in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

An article on Yahoo! discussed Torres' commitment to MMA, stating that before fights he sleeps and eats in his gym While Torres was essentially his own coach and ran his own training camps over the duration of his career, after his loss to Brian Bowles, Torres stated that he planned to revamp his training methods by working with several professional coaches, including Mark DellaGrotte.

Personal life
Miguel Torres is divorced. His daughter, Yelana Torres, was born in 2007.

Many fans have discussed the evolution of Torres' hairstyle; Torres stated in an interview that he adopted his iconic mullet from his father. Torres went on to say that, his father's mullet "is much more awesome than mine" and that the mullet "is a Mexican thing."

Championships and awards

 * World Extreme Cagefighting
 * WEC Bantamweight Championship (One time)
 * Three successful title defenses
 * Fight of the Night (Two times)
 * Submission of the Night (One time)
 * Sherdog
 * Breakthrough Fighter of the Year (2008)