There has been a lot of promotional muscle put behind Paige VanZant, and her fellow strawweight Tecia Torres is none too happy about it. And for good reason.
Not only does “The Tiny Tornado” own a win over the 20-year-old Nevada native, but she is also currently ranked seven spots above “PVZ” in the current UFC rankings system for the 115-pound collective. Yet, despite those details, it’s VanZant who grabbed a Reebok sponsorship, and her upcoming bout against Felice Herrig at UFC on Fox 15 is elevated enough to make the promotional poster.
The recent women’s strawweight title bout between Carla Esparza and Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 185 this past Saturday in Dallas didn’t receive that push on the original version of the event’s promotional efforts, but nothing is promised in the ever-evolving world of fight promotion at the highest levels of MMA.
Torres admits she understands how certain things play out in the fight game, but that doesn’t mean she has to like it one bit.
She recently discussed her feelings toward the promotional push VanZant has received during a media scrum at UFC 185 last Saturday in Dallas.
There’s a little part of me that is jealous of the spotlight Paige is getting since I did beat her. She’s fighting Felice and I think that’s a good matchup for her because I think they are on an equal level. I’ve thought about it a lot and I think I really want Felice to win just because of the spotlight Paige is getting. I want Felice to win because I want people to see—not that she’s just a pretty face—but that’s she’s not on my level. I’m not saying I like Felice better—I think Paige is a cool girl—but I’m going for Felice in that fight.
While Torres has no control over where the UFC puts its promotional push, the one thing she can continue to do is continue her climb up the strawweight ranks. Although she had a rough run on Season 20 of The Ultimate Fighter, she bounced back strong at the finale event, where she put a lopsided beating on Angela Magana to take the unanimous-decision victory and earn her first official win inside the Octagon.
The 25-year-old American Top Team representative will get her next opportunity to prove herself inside the cage when she faces another former housemate in Angela Hill. The two scrappy strawweights are slated to throw down at UFC 188 on June 13 in Mexico City.
With Joanna Jedrzejczyk recently dethroning Carla Esparza at UFC 185, the path to a title opportunity in the women’s 115-pound division is wide open. Torres plans to prove what she’s made of once again against Hill and show the decision-makers in the UFC that she truly deserves their attention.
I’m just going to show the world with my hands who ‘The Tiny Tornado’ is again in June. I know a lot of people expected me to win the show. It went a different way, but I really feel I’m a better fighter with my own camp, my teammates and my family around.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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