(Video courtesy MMAWeekly)
When Miguel Torres’ longtime mentor and teacher, Carlson Gracie passed away in 2006, his protegee soon after ventured out on his own to open his own gym where he would train himself and a handful of up-and-coming fighters in Hammond, Indiana.
For a few years, the system seemed to be working as he continued to rack up wins and dominate all comers in the WEC.
Then, it happened on August 9, 2009.
After logging three strong minutes in the first round of his fourth title defense, Torres got floored by the right hand of challenger Brian Bowles and was knocked out by the follow-up barrage of ground-and-pound as he worked to secure an armbar.
Shaking off the loss, Torres figured spending more time training in the gym would get him back on track.
He was wrong.