After his devastating knockout loss to unheralded underdog Brian Bowles, Torres took a step back and reevaluated his priorities. The proud former champion is a fiercely determined and passionate competitor and is notorious for his unquenchable work ethic. However, these admirable qualities, the very building blocks of Miguel Torres's meteoric rise to the heights of MMA stardom, ultimately turned against him. He was strecthed too thin. Between running his own gym, coaching his fighters, teaching classes, and attending media events, there was very little time for actual training. On top of all these distractions, Torres got cocky. He started to believe the hype. Other fighters, such as WEC commentator Frank Mir, would routinely gush about the vast talent of Torres. The young Mexican-American's ferocity was legendary, and his willingness to engage opponents using thier own strenghts only blostered his almost mystical status. After the loss, Torres took time to reflect on his past mistakes and to settle his business, " I had to take some time to get my life in order. My business, my gym was going crazy, going out of control, getting new members, I expanded into a new place, taking care of my finances, my taxes, stuff like that, my family, my friends...". Once his life settled down, training and improving became priority number one.
Miguel learned that talent and passion alone can only take you so far. In the fight game an athlete must have clear cut priorities. Sacrafices must be made in order to stay on top. UFC welterweight champion George St. Pierre has been quoted as saying, "It is hard to become champion, but even harder to stay champion". Champions have giant targets painted on thier backs. Every young hungry fighter wants a shot at the belt. Brian Bowles was a young hungry fighter on August 9th. Bowles didn't have any distractions. He wasn't pulled in a dozen different directions. Bowles wanted the belt. Plain and simple.
I am looking forward to seeing Torres fight Benevidez. First off, it will be interesting to see how Torres deals with a loss. Will Torres retain his aggressive style or become more cautious? I have heard that some fighters are never the same after being knocked out. Secondly, what improvements have been made in his game? Miguel has trained with boxer Miguel Cotto in preparation for this fight so I am expecting his striking, especially punching combinations, to be sharper then ever. Also, Miguel has sought the expert advice of grappling wizard Robert Drysdale to help fine tune his already lethal BJJ skills.
Jospeh Benevidez is a tough opponent who should not be overlooked. However, Torres seems ready to re-claim the top spot. A fully focused and motivated Miguel Angel Torres is a scary creature for any 135lb fighter. And with redemption within arms reach, Torres is hungier then ever.
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