One of the most exciting fighters in mixed martial arts, Miguel “Angel” Torres, is a bundle of contradictions. A vicious striker and submission specialist, Torres is also a dedicated teacher and coach who prefers to see himself as an underdog, despite the fact that most sources would rank him as one of the top ten pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
After establishing himself as a mature fighter in the world of MMA with an undefeated streak of 17 wins – including a victory over Chase Beebe that won Torres the WEC Bantamweight Championship – he now finds himself at a crossroads.
In his last two bouts, Torres’ seemingly unstoppable rise from regional phenom to international star to legend hit an unexpectedly rocky road, finding many in the MMA community asking, “What’s next for Miguel Torres?”
Torres vs. Mizugaki
On April 5, Torres fought Takeya Mizugaki in the main event of WEC 40. Although Mizugaki had built a reputation with his heavy-handed, stand-up style, few predicted that Torres would have much trouble with the Japanese fighter.
In the five rounds that followed, the two warriors put on a clinic filled with grace, power, brutality, guts and determination. The fight has come to be considered a classic, one that left Torres’ fans scratching their heads despite his victory by unanimous decision.
Torres was clearly not prepared for Mizugaki’s punching power or the determined fighter’s indomitable chin, admitting as much after the fight. For MMA fans, the battle was an edge-of-your-seat affair. For Torres-watchers it was the revelation of the first chink in his armor.
Torres vs. Brian Bowles
After his victory over Mizugaki, Torres immediately called out Brian Bowles, who had watched the bout from ringside. On August 9 the two met inside the ring, and what followed sent shock waves through the MMA world.
Bowles seemed to come to the fight with a sense of calm that bordered on serenity. His first punch of the fight was a short right hook that dropped Torres to the canvas. Bowles then followed up by strong-arming the champ to the cage and executing a crisp takedown. Once the fighters found their feet, Torres was able to connect with a few good strikes to the face of Bowles, backing the challenger across the octagon and into the cage. Suddenly, Bowles scored a solid right to Torres’ chin. Torres buckled and rolled to the ground. Bowles followed him down, scoring right punches and elbows to the face as Torres attempted to maneuver into a position where he could utilize his up-kicks. Bowles landed a very clean right to Torres’ chin and the champ appeared to go limp - just before Bowles dropped a series of hard lefts, winning a TKO victory.
A first round knockout was not something anyone expected from the bout, and it begs the question of what it means for Torres’ future in the WEC.
Torres at the Crossroads
One of the factors contributing to Torres’ recent difficulties is simply the quality of opponents he’s fought. It’s no coincidence that he’s had a tough go of it against challengers of such caliber. That said, there seem to be a number of issues in Torres’ own arsenal that could be addressed to bring him back to his winning ways.
Generally speaking, Torres seems to be somewhat allergic to success. As his star has risen, we’ve witnessed a typical syndrome that affects many fighters: he’s lost track of the fundamental skills that brought him his many victories.
Torres’ striking game has always been rooted in a wicked left jab that made use of his constant height and reach advantages. In his last two fights, we’ve seen very little use of this staple. It’s as if Torres is merely looking for a window where he can deliver a quick knockout, instead of establishing his striking game with a range-finding, withering jab that could set up a knockout in later rounds.
In addition, Torres’ arsenal has traditionally included a variety of unexpected moves that have caught his opponents by surprise. In his battle against Manny Tapia, Torres executed a Tae-Kwon-Do-style rolling ax kick. Although the technique did little damage, this kind of unpredictability has given Torres an edge in the past. It’s an edge that we find missing in these latest bouts.
Torres’ career is far from over. Most authorities still rank him as one of the best fighters in the world, despite the loss to Bowles. It’s likely that Torres will be matched with a tough contender before having the opportunity at a re-match, but if he’s going to re-build his legend for good this time, he may have to get over his need to think of himself as an underdog. A champion has to be able to own their spot at number one. Fighting from a second-best mentality has helped Torres rise to the top, but he’ll need to abandon this self-defeating mentality if he wants to stay there.
- Joe Nolan is a freelance writer in Nashville, TN. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com
