| Miguel Torres | |
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| Born | Miguel Angel Torres January 18, 1981 East Chicago, Indiana |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 135 lb (61 kg; 9.6 st) |
| Division | 135 |
| Reach | 76.0 in (193 cm) [1] |
| Style | Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai |
| Fighting out of | East Chicago, Indiana |
| Team | Team Sityodtong |
| Trainer | Mark Dellagrotte |
| Rank | black belt in BJJ |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| MMA record | |
| Total | 40 |
| Wins | 37 |
| By knockout | 9 |
| By submission | 22 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 1 |
| Other information | |
| University | Purdue University |
| Children | 1 |
| Official website | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
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Miguel Angel Torres (born January 18, 1981) is a Mexican American mixed martial artist who fights for the World Extreme Cagefighting organization.[2] He is a former WEC Bantamweight champion. Prior to fighting with the WEC, Torres also held the bantamweight title for the US Shooto organization, as well as for the Ironheart Crown. Torres specializes primarily in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and also possesses a potent Muay Thai striking arsenal. As reported by UFC.com, in September 2008 Torres received his black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu from Carlson Gracie, Jr.[1]
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Sherdog.com ranks Torres as the #4 Bantamweight mixed martial artist in the world.[3]
For a number of years Torres fought primarily in small, unsanctioned events held in Northwest Indiana nightclubs and bars. As a result, much of his early fighting career is undocumented. Prior to signing with the WEC, he fought often on Chicago-area shows, including the Total Fight Challenge and the 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, Senior. 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.
Torres received several offers to fight overseas in Brazil and Japan after the challenge was issued. Because these offers were not lucrative, he turned them down and continued to fight locally instead. 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 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 undisputed champion at 135.
Following the defeat of Beebe, Torres successfully defended his title with back-to-back TKO victories. One over Yoshiro Maeda in an exciting war and the other over the previously-undefeated Manny Tapia. It capped off a 2008 where Torres earned Breakthrough Fighter of the Year honors from Sherdog.com. [2]
Torres fought Takeya Mizugaki in the main event of WEC 40 on April 5, 2009 in Chicago, Illinois and won by unanimous decision to retain his belt. Mizugaki seemingly surprised Torres with his proficient boxing skills and solid takedown defense, stuffing many attempts from the champion. Torres showed his prowess with striking, finding a home for his muay thai knees in the challenger's midsection, whilst becoming more accurate with his boxing. Both fighters displayed great heart in a competitive bout where Torres’ standup skills proved too much for his opponent.
Next in line to fight Torres for his title was Brian Bowles, who was replaced by Mizugaki due to an injury sustained by Bowles. 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 and had Bowles hurt badly with a one-two combo but as he rushed in to finish Bowles he would get countered and knocked out in a mild upset. The loss snapped Torres' streak of 17 consecutive victories and marked his first loss at 135 lbs.
On March 6, 2010 at WEC 47[4], Torres faced and was defeated by Joseph Benavidez, via guillotine choke in the second round.[5]
Torres owns and operates a mixed martial arts academy in Hammond, Indiana where he teaches nearly 200 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[6] While Torres was essentially his own self-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.[7]
Miguel Torres is married and has a daughter, born on August 26, 2007[6].
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."[6]
Torres was first introduced to martial arts at nine years old (although he had taken Tae-Kwon-Do lessons for a couple of years before that) when his father bought him a pair of boxing gloves for his birthday[8].
In a live chat with his fans, Torres stated that he is an avid eater of chocolate ice cream and plays "way too many" video games[9].
While his fight database record is 37-3, Torres claims a ledger of 49-3[11][12] , stating that "he started fighting way before there were databases."[13]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 40 matches | 37 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 9 | 1 |
| By submission | 22 | 1 |
| By decision | 6 | 1 |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 37-3 |  Joseph Benavidez |
Submission (Guillotine Choke) | WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz | March 6, 2010 | 2 | 2:57 | Columbus, Ohio, USA |
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| Loss | 37-2 | Brian Bowles |
KO (Punches) | WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles | August 09, 2009 | 1 | 3:57 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
Lost the WEC Bantamweight Championship |
| Win | 37-1 |  Takeya Mizugaki |
Decision (Unanimous) | WEC 40: Torres vs. Mizugaki | April 05, 2009 | 5 | 5:00 | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
Defended WEC Bantamweight Championship Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Win | 36-1 | Manny Tapia |
TKO (Stikes) | WEC 37: Torres vs. Tapia | December 03, 2008 | 2 | 3:04 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
Defended WEC Bantamweight Championship |
| Win | 35-1 | Yoshiro Maeda |
TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | WEC 34: Faber vs. Pulver | June 01, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Sacramento, California, USA |
Defended WEC Bantamweight Championship Won Fight of the Night Honors |
| Win | 34-1 | Chase Beebe |
Submission (Anaconda Choke) | WEC 32: Condit vs. Prater | February 13, 2008 | 1 | 3:59 | Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA |
Won WEC Bantamweight Championship |
| Win | 33-1 | Jeff Bedard |
Submission (Triangle Choke) | WEC 30: McCullough vs. Crunkilton | September 05, 2007 | 1 | 2:30 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
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| Win | 32-1 | Darius Turcinskas | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | IMMAC 2 - Attack | April 21, 2007 | 2 | 0:57 | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
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| Win | 31-1 | Charles Wilson | Submission (Triangle Choke) | Total Fight Challenge 7 | February 10, 2007 | 3 | 1:29 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 30-1 | Bobby Gamboa | Submission (Rear Naked Choke) | AFC 19 | September 09, 2006 | 1 | 2:32 | Boca Raton, Florida, USA |
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| Win | 29-1 | Derek Collins | TKO (Punches) | Total Fight Challenge 6 | May 05, 2006 | 1 | 2:36 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 28-1 | Richard Nancoo | TKO (Punches) | IHC 10 - Tempest | April 29, 2006 | 2 | n/a | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 27-1 | Joe Pearson | Submission (Triangle Choke) | Total Fight Challenge 5 | February 18, 2006 | 1 | 0:28 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 26-1 | Ryan Ackerman | Submission (Armbar) | IHC 9 - Purgatory | November 19, 2005 | 1 | 4:45 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 25-1 | Dan Swift | Decision (Unanimous) | Total Fight Challenge 3 | April 20, 2005 | 3 | 5:00 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 24-1 | Jim Bruketta | Submission (Triangle Choke) | Total Fight Challenge 2 | February 19, 2005 | 2 | 2:08 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 23-1 | Alex Khanbabian | Submission (Armbar) | IHC 8 - Ethereal | November 20, 2004 | 1 | 1:01 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 22-1 | Mustafa Hussaini | TKO (Punches) | IHC 7 - The Crucible | June 05, 2004 | 3 | 1:24 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 21-1 | Mike French | Submission (Triangle Choke) | Superbrawl 40 | January 16, 2004 | 2 | 2:44 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Loss | 20-1 | Ryan Ackerman | Decision (Unanimous) | IHC 6 - Inferno | November 22, 2003 | 3 | 5:00 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 20-0 | Lindsey Durlacker | Decision (Unanimous) | IHC 4 - Armageddon | May 18, 2002 | 3 | 5:00 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 19-0 | Brian Szohr | Submission (Triangle Choke) | TCC - Battle of the Badges | March 13, 2002 | N/A | N/A | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 18-0 | Craig Williamson | Submission (Triangle Choke) | TCC - Battle of the Badges | March 13, 2002 | N/A | N/A | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 17-0 | Steve Reyna | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | IHC 3 - Exodus | November 10, 2001 | 1 | 5:00 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 16-0 | NIck Mitchell | Decision (Unanimous) | IHC 3 - Exodus | November 10, 2001 | 2 | 5:00 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 15-0 | Danny Long | KO | TCC - Total Combat Challenge | September 29, 2001 | 1 | N/A | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 14-0 | Patrick Rodriguez | Submission | Finke's FCC | April 30, 2001 | 2 | 1:41 | Highland, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 13-0 | Josh Mason | Submission (Punches) | Cage Rage 2 | April 14, 2001 | 2 | N/A | Kokomo, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 12-0 | Mark Jaromillo | Submission (Armbar) | Finke's FCC | March 26, 2001 | 2 | 2:40 | Highland, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 11-0 | David Odle | Submission (Punches) | Finke's FCC | February 26, 2001 | 1 | 2:05 | Highland, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 10-0 | Danny Alexander | Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) | Finke's FCC | January 29, 2001 | 1 | 0:58 | Highland, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 9-0 | Jesse Gudenschwagger | TKO (Doctor Stoppage) | MMA - Invitational 4 | November 18, 2000 | 2 | 5:00 | Hammond, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 8-0 | Chad Bratton | Decision (Unanimous) | Extreme Shootfighting | September 30, 2000 | 1 | 15:00 | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 7-0 | Ricky Olson | Decision (Unanimous) | Extreme Shootfighting | September 30, 2000 | 1 | 15:00 | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 6-0 | Cory Merriman | Submission (Punches) | Extreme Shootfighting | September 30, 2000 | 1 | 1:27 | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 5-0 | Dan Caesar | Submission (Strikes) | Finke's FCC | August 28, 2000 | 1 | 4:30 | Highland, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 4-0 | Kris Kramer | Submission (Triangle Choke) | Finke's FCC | July 28, 2000 | 1 | 3:00 | Highland, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 3-0 | Michael Reyna | Submission (Punches) | Finke's FCC | May 22, 2000 | 1 | 1:22 | Highland, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 2-0 | Dan Caesar | Submission (Guillotine Choke) | Finke's FCC | April 24, 2000 | 1 | 4:09 | Highland, Indiana, USA |
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| Win | 1-0 | Larry Pulliam | TKO (Punches) | Finke's FCC | March 27, 2000 | 1 | 0:10 | Highland, Indiana, USA |
| Preceded by Chase Beebe |
3rd WEC Bantaweight Champion February 13, 2008 - August 9, 2009 |
Succeeded by Brian Bowles |
  | Torres Martial Arts: Miguel Torres's academy in Hammond, Indiana - Torres Martial Arts Academy - Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai Kickboxing, Miguel Angel Torres |
| | World Extreme Cagefightinng (WEC): Torres's current fighting organization - WEC | World Extreme Cagefighting |
| | Miguel Torres: from barrooms to the big time - Miguel Torres: from barrooms to the big time | MMAjunkie.com |
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