Former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres was back in the Octagon as he battled Nick Pace.
Torres was last in action at UFC 130, where he dropped a close decision to recent title challenger Demetrious Johnson.
Pace, meanwhile, failed to make weight for the contest and forfeited a portion of his fight purse. The fighter dropped a decision to Ivan Menjivar at UFC 133 in August.
The two fighters took their time to find their range. Torres connected with multiple kicks to the outside of Pace’s lead leg. Torres landed a right hand that backed up Pace. Pace answered with double jab to slow Torres’ advance. Pace scored with knees to the body. Pace looked for a takedown against the fence, but Torres kept the fight standing. Torres latched onto a kimura and put Pace on the ground, but only for a moment. Torres continued to fire combinations as the round ended, landing both a right hand and left head kick.
Torres again opened the round with kicks. Torres continued to keep Pace at bay with his jab. Pace secured a takedown at the three minute mark and landed in the guard of Torres. Torres fired elbows and punches from his back. Pace passed to side control with two minutes left in the round, but Torres used his hips to stand. Torres forced Pace against the fence and mixed in short left hands and knees to the body until the round came to a close.
In the final round, Pace appeared desperate early. Torres delivered a right hand followed by a teep to the body. Pace swung wildly but failed to connect. Pace gained the clinch and landed a knee before Torres pushed him away. The fight moved to the fence and Torres again scored with knees. Pace flurried with a minute left in the fight, but Torres put him against the cage yet again.
Torres explained his strategy in the post-fight interview. “I had to avoid his right hand. He’s real durable. I hit him with a lot of big shots,” Torres said.
Official Result: Miguel Torres def. Nick Pace by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
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Rob Tatum is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at TheMMACorner.com. For anything related to MMA, you can follow Rob on Twitter @RobTatumMMA.