MIGUEL TORRES FLYING ARMBAR!
June 23, 2010 by Matt
Peter Griffin prefers more of the ground and pound, but I’m certain he’d still be very pleased. Follow Miguel Torres on Twitter for more hilarity.
VIDEO: MIGUEL TORRES WORKING WITH EMANUEL STEWARD
June 23, 2010 by searstapper
Miguel Torres has branched out to other trainers to get him ready for his next fight. One of those people is legendary boxing trainer Emanuel Steward. Check out this video provided by EckoMMA.
VIDEO: MIGUEL TORRES HONORED BY HOMETOWN OF EAST CHICAGO, IN
June 4, 2010 by searstapper
Former WEC champion Miguel Torres was honored by his hometown of East Chicago, IN. The mayor declared June 4, 2010 “Miguel Angel Torres Day.” The talented bantamweight was honored not just for his accomplishments in mixed martial arts, but his contributions to helping the community.
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VIDEO: MIGUEL TORRES DISCUSSES URIJAH FABER & WORKING W/ EMANUEL STEWARD
June 4, 2010 by searstapper
Local favorite Miguel Torres is preparing to step into the WEC cage once again to get back on the winning track. He’s sought time with some of the top coaches in combat sports since losing the bantamweight title last August. He talked with Chicago’s MMA reporter L.J. Tabano about his training, as well as the possibility of fighting Urijah Faber. The former WEC featherweight champion is dropping to the 135 pound division, and although both are coming off losses, many fans still wouldn’t mind seeing the two talented fighters face each other.
MIGUEL ANGEL TORRES DAY IN EAST CHICAGO, IN
May 29, 2010 by searstapper
Miguel Torres is one of many talented fighters to come out of Northwest Indiana and make a name for himself in the MMA world. His hometown of East Chicago, IN will honor him with his own special day.
BARTIMUS AND THE BULLY WIN AT WEC 47
March 7, 2010 by Matt
Two Chicago-area fighters are leaving Columbus, Ohio with victories, while Miguel Torres is leaving with his second consecutive loss.
Bart Palaszewski took on the very tough Karen Darabedyan in a lightweight battle. Bartimus immediately felt the power and quickness of Darabedyan, who was coming off an impressive win against former WEC champ Rob McCullough. Darabedyan had Bart on the ground and was delivering punishment. Bart absorbed a lot of blows but kept looking for subs. Near the end of round 1 Palaszewski latched on to an arm and hyperextended it until he got the tap. Itwas an amazing submission and Bartimus moves to 34-13 with the win.
Team Top Notch fighter Ricardo Lamas was coming off a TKO loss to Danny “Last Call” Castillo at WEC 42. He needed little time to get back on a win streak with a stunning defeat of France’s Bendy Casimir. In round 1 action, Casimir went for a takedown and Lamas delivered a fierce knee to Casimir’s head that crumbled him to the canvas and left him unconscious. The Bully got the win and improves to 8-1 overall and now 3-1 in the WEC.
Miguel Torres never really got going against Joseph Benavidez, his first fight since losing his WEC title to Brian Bowles. Miguel was active in moving and circling the cage, but couldn’t find the timing on his strikes or kicks. The faster Benavidez easily nullified the nearly 10-inch reach disadvantage with takedowns and easily working his way inside against Torres. The last takedown in round 2 proved fatal for Torres. Benavidez had him up against the cage and delivered a vicious elbow that gashed open Torres’ forehead and immediately started to gush blood. Torres tried to escape but Benavidez caught him in a tight guillotine and Torres was forced to tap. It was a stunning defeat for Torres. Brian Bowles lost the title to Dominick Cruz, so perhaps we will see a Bowles/Torres rematch down the line.
Photos taken from Sherdog’s WEC 47 gallery
MARCH MADNESS, MMA STYLE
March 2, 2010 by Matt
The NCAA tourney will not be the only madness to engulf the sports world in March. There will be 5 MMA major events within 25 days, giving new meaning to March coming in like a lion. Here’s a look at what’s coming up.
3.6 WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz
An excellent card to kick off the month. Brian Bowles defends his bantamweight title against Dominick Cruz. We also get the returns of Miguel Torres, who takes on the explosive Joseph Benavidez, and Jens Pulver. The always exciting Scott Jorgensen is also on the card, as well as impressive WEC newcomer Karen Darabedyan.
3.21 UFC on Versus 1
The UFC makes its first appearance on Versus and the card is spectacular. Jon Jones is one of the most dynamic fighters in all of MMA and he will take on Brandon Vera. The most under-appreciated fighter in MMA is also on the card: Junior Dos Santos. Dos Santos will fight Gabriel Gonzaga and needs a win to get closer to a title fight. Also on the card is fan-favorite Clay Guida, as well as a solid heavyweight matchup between Cheick Kongo and Paul Buentello.
3.26 Strikeforce Challengers 7
Where else would you get to see George Bush fight? Not that one, but the heavyweight fighter will take on Ron Humphrey. 2 of the most beautiful — and ferocious — female fighters will do battle at this event, as Miesha Tate brawls with Zoila Frausto. Andre Galvao is back from DREAM to take on Strikeforce veteran Luke Stewart. And Lavar “Big” Johnson will take on Lolohea Mahe.
3.27 UFC 111: St. Pierre vs. Hardy
The Return of GSP against the brash, talented Dan Hardy for the UFC welterweight belt is the main event on this card. But the co-main event of Frank Mir vs. Shane Carwin for the interim heavyweight belt may be an even better fight. Two other top welterweights will go at it in Jon Fitch vs. Thiago Alves, and the exciting Ben Saunders will take on M-1, IFL and Bellator vet Jake Ellenberger.
3.31 UFC Fight Night 21
Just days after 2 title bouts, the UFC is back with another edition of “Fight Night” on Spike. Kenny Florian gets to take on Takanori Gomi in his UFC debut. Ultimate Fighter winner Roy Nelson will battle Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve, an interesting battle of wrestler vs. Jiu-Jtsu. Lightweight Ultimate Fighter winner Ross Pearson gets Dennis Siver, and Nate Quarry and Jorge Rivera will slug it out.
MIGUEL TORRES SUBMISSION FLOW
February 21, 2010 by Matt
Check out this clip from the former local MMA show “Combatwire”. Miguel Torres shows Felice Herrig the submission flow that allowed him to beat Chase Beebe for the WEC title. Playing the part of Beebe is UFC fighter Kurt Pellegrino.
Miguel needs to get back to more of this when he fights Joseph Benavidez at WEC 47 on March 6th. Felice Herrig will fight next on April 17th. Pellegrino will battle Fabricio Camoes at UFC 111.
MIGUEL TORRES GETS READY FOR WEC 47
January 26, 2010 by Matt
The Las Vegas Sun catches up with Miguel Torres as he trains for his next fight against Joseph Benavidez at WEC 47. In the interview, Miguel seems revitalized. He explains why he has a totally different camp to train with for the bout against Benavidez in Columbus on March 6th. Benavidez is coming off a very impressive win against Rani Yahya.
PURE MMA ENTERS THE CAGE
September 14, 2009 by Matt
PURE MMA’S GENESIS: Miguel Torres Shows His Support to Local Fighters by Rea Frey
On Saturday, September 12, The Odeum Sports and Expo Center in Villa Park, Illinois, filled with locals to enjoy Pure MMA’s first event, Genesis. A promising card stacked with eleven bouts, skills ranged from fresh-faced young hopefuls, still in their teens, to a charity fight showcasing a cop and a fireman, to more experienced MMA athletes who gave the crowd a mixture of entertainment and skill.
As a welcome surprise, former WEC bantamweight champ, Miguel Torres, made an appearance. “The next MMA superstars get their starts with shows like these, which give them experience,” he said. A Starbucks cup in one hand, he signed autographs and posed for pictures, happy to talk about his plans to get back in the game for a title shot. “The last fight, I got a little cocky,” he said. “But, after my next opponent, I’m looking for a title shot.” With a grin plastered to his face, he added, “But I’m not a nice guy.”
Genesis – although peppered with technical difficulties, abnormal wait times between fights, unnecessary screen intros to give background about each fighter – was still a success. The night started with 130 pound fighters John Dieckmann and Jerald Williams. It came as no surprise that Dieckmann, who actually yawned prior to his entrance, was stopped in round one due to strikes. After a quick succession of rapid fire punches, Williams got Dieckmann’s back and ended it with unanswered strikes to the head.
The second bout featured Chris Duran and Mike Wojtulewicz. Both just nineteen years old, these young fighters gassed quickly as their adrenaline rocketed and then crashed, leaving them depleted and gasping for air. After an immediate takedown by Mike, who illustrated good ground skills and a quick arm bar, Duran escaped, dropped some bombs of his own and made it out of the first round. Before the second, the ref stopped the bout, however, due to a giant goose egg protruding from Mike’s eye. Duran reigned victorious.
Featherweights Doug Fick and Alec Spencer battled with their stand-up, but both fighters lacked power, instead locking each other against the cage, blood staining their forearms and elbows, making small, red pebbles on the canvas. Finally, after an imminent tangle in the second round, the fighters brought their knees into play. After a slew of unanswered punches to the head, the ref stopped the bout at 2:45 in the second round, claiming Spencer as the winner.
Flyweights Jeremy Rennels and Dimitrius Williams brought some excitement with low kicks and smooth takedowns, which transitioned into a steady ground and pound by Williams. The ref stopped the bout in the first round, and Williams, upon his victory, completed a back flip, still energetic after his short jaunt in the cage.
Dave Pedraza and Luis Acuna fought at a catch weight (though exactly what that catch weight was remains to be seen). Though it was a mismatch from the start, this was the sole fight that went the distance. The more experienced fighter, Pedraza, clinched a split decision after three rounds.
As the night progressed, the skill improved, but the next bout was incredibly short lived, thanks to a premature stoppage by the referee. At 171 pounds, fighters Ben Koff and Jerry Henley (who was joined by his entourage consisting of professional boxer, Mike Mollo, MMA superstar, Andrei Arlovski, and Chicago coach, Dino Costeas) provided a little star power to the Expo Center. Immediately, Koff threw giant, looping punches, which Henley deflected easily, with good head movement and counterpunching. He rocked Koff immediately and knocked him down, but rather than capitalizing on this opportunity, Henley let him up and got into a quick exchange of punches. Henley got tagged and dropped to his knees. Before he had an opportunity to make his next move, the ref stopped the fight 28 seconds into the very first round.
Lucas Grabowski and “Wolverine” Shawn Gulisano gave the crowd something to cheer about, as they threw hard punches, knees, and once it went to the ground, Grabowski secured a rear naked choke, causing the Wolverine to tap out at 1:50 seconds of the first round.
The charity fight of the evening was comprised of a cop, Larry Linderman, and a fireman, Patrick Moran. Upon Moran’s entrance, one was reminded of a “good old boy,” with his gray hair and small potbelly, which distended over the waistband of his trunks. Nowhere in his demeanor did one get “fighter.” Linderman obviously had the age and shape advantage. Once the bout was underway, Moran threw tethered, uncertain punches, bobbling forward, reminding one of a Tough Man competition. Once Moran was knocked to the canvas, Linderman mounted him uncertainly, delivering calculated blows to his ribs. Near the end of round one, Linderman easily submitted Moran with a rear naked choke, though both men received a standing ovation for their services and brave wills.
The last three fights were for Pure MMA title belts. The 145-pound division kicked things off with Justin Halloran fighting Brandon Harrison. These two fighters exemplified skill and experience. Harrison maintained side control for most of the round, with Halloran being saved by the bell from a rear naked choke. Round two started with low kicks, a smattering of punches and foot stomps, and then, as a surprise to everyone, Halloran dropped Harrison with a knee to the jaw. Upon this strike, bits of Harrison’s teeth blasted from his mouth and caused an immediate ref stoppage, which gave Halloran the belt.
The co-main event was easily the best fight of the night. At 170 pounds, Ryan Storey and Mike Santiago were in stellar shape and armed with skill. Storey was able to maintain control from the top, taking Santiago’s back early on. Both fighters remained calm, looking to take advantage of the other’s mistakes. The bout, like so many others from the night, ended in the first round, due to a rear naked choke, giving Storey his first Welterweight belt.
The main event featured heavyweights Gabe Salinas and Tim Nevinger. Both fighters exchanged slow punches before taking it to the ground, where Salinas finished Nevinger with a flurry of punches in the second round.
All in all, it was a good first attempt for Pure MMA Fighting. Many fighters showed promise and Chicago will keep a look out for these future MMA stars.
