After turning down Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) numerous times before, former Titan FC Flyweight and Bantamweight champion Jose Torres finally made his Octagon debut last Friday night (June 1, 2018) at UFC Fight Night 131 in Utica, New York.
While he got the win, it wasn’t how “Shorty” expected to get it, as his opponent Jarred Brooks knocked himself out trying to slam the 125-pound stud (see it again here).
During a recent edition of The MMA Hour, Jose broke down exactly how Brooks knocked himself out. And though he won’t take full credit for it, his technique did have something to do with it.
“I shot a couple knees, he shot into his shot and he picked me up. Immediately I started to climb down. And the big thing for wrestling is you want to lock the hips. You don’t want them to be able to turn and you don’t want them to be able to take your back. That is pretty much the goal in wrestling, you want to take them down and take their back,” he explained.
“So when I was able to lock the hips, he couldn’t arch and he couldn’t turn. So when he was trying to do his big throw, he fell completely straight back flat. And then his arms were extended, he landed on his shoulder and he pretty much hit a nerve and he passed out because of it. When I landed on my side, regardless if he passed out or not, I was going to take his back. Whether the end was coming or not, I knew I was going to take his back and get into a dominant position,” explained Torres, according, who says that has happened to his opponents twice during his college wrestling days.
Still, Torres says he feels for Brooks losing that way and taking unnecessary heat for the bizzare loss on social media.
As far as staying at 125 pounds, that is the plan as Torres says that weight class needs a fighter like him since everyone else just keeps getting recycled.
“Right now 125 is my weight class. I feel that’s the weight class that definitely needs me. Everyone’s been recycled,” explained Torres. “You have Cejudo and Benvidez at the top who have been beating Pettis and these guys at the bottom who like myself are being properly moved up. But then they get to them and they keep on losing. So those two guys keep getting recycled against Demetrious Johnson, they’ve already lost a total of three times” he explained.
Jose makes it clear he isn’t knocking Benavidez, Cejudo or the rest of the weight class, he is just spitting facts and stating the obvious since Demetrious Johnson has ruled the division with an iron fist.
“Again, those two athletes are phenomenal athletes, and the whole division is stacked. But because Demetrious Johnson is such a phenomenal fighter, he’s made the whole division look boring,” he added.
“So they need someone I believe like me to create the exciting fights. I take the beatings, I get bumps and bruises, broken bones or whatever the case may be; but it’s something the fans want and that’s what I am trying to give,” concluded Torres.
Nothing wrong with some new blood.
With the win, Torres moves to 8-0, 1-0 UFC and will look to add to his growing resume in his sophomore effort with the Endeavor-owned fight promotion. Care to offer up any potential opponents for the 125-pound star?