What in the hell happened to Miguel Torres?
by Zak Woods on Mar 8, 2010 2:16 PM EST
in Analysis
24 comments
Watching Miguel Torres lose to Joseph Benavidez was like visiting a chocolate factory expecting Willy Wonka only to be disappointed by plastic hair nets and giant machinery.
Seriously, what in the world happened to Miguel Torres? That question has been asked by many fans in Internet forums, social networking sites and even in conversations between people residing in the same room. Shocking, I know. Fans who watched WEC 47 witnessed a former champion look timid and uncertain from the first bell before being submitted by Benavidez in the second round.
Did Torres simply have a bad night where the sudden gush of gore lead to defeat or was it just bad tactics that need fixing? The former seems quite practical as Torres' was split to the bone with a torrent of blood oozing over his face, a reality that would have caused 99% humans to turn in their papers and find a new job. If it was just poor tactics then Torres' move to alter his camp and spend more time with Mark DellaGrotte was surely an error.
But due to the quality, or rather, the lack of quality, in Torres' performance, a sudden reactionary discussion has sprung up: was Miguel really that good, was he overrated, was this a changing of the guard or is all well in mullet-land?
SBN coverage of WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz
Torres has lost two fights in a row, which has caused many MMA fans to rethink the entire bantamweight division (of course, it didn't hurt that Brian Bowles also lost). This sudden transformation is nothing new and we have seen it in other divisions as a new crop of talented, athletic fighters bulldoze through the old guard creating a new hierarchy that is sometime difficult for fans to accept.
Surely, a two fight losing streak should not warrant a fighter being completely written off; especially when that fighter was previously considered to be a top-ten pound-for-pound fighter with a 37-1 record, who was riding a seventeen fight win-streak. Yet here we are, two losses in a row, two unimpressive performances --not to mention questionable tactics-- leaves a very bitter taste in the mouth. After all, these sudden losing streaks tend to foreshadow a changing of the guard. Chuck Liddell, Wanderlei Silva, Rich Franklin, Mirko "Cro Cop", Matt Hughes and many, many others decline from the top began with sudden and shocking repeated defeats.
It is tricky to look back at historical opponents and analyze their worth, as we are influenced by those opponents recent resumes. But in the case of Torres, WKR was shocked (our own fault for not doing our homework) to see how much Miguel's WEC opponents have dropped off since fighting the former champion.
In early 2009 Torres defeated Takeya Mizugaki, who was signed from Greatest Common Multiple (bet you haven't heard of that promotion before) on short notice to fight the bantamweight champion. Yet Mizugaki was able to win two early rounds; a fact that caused many to jump all over Takeya as an immediate bantamweight contender. Since that fight Mizugaki barely won a split decision over Jeff Curan and is 1-2 in the WEC.
Torres' previous opponent was Manny Tapia in late 2008. Manny is 0-3 since that fight and is now out of the WEC. In the summer of 2008 Miguel fought Yoshiro Maeda who subsequently loss to Rani Yaha and was cut from the WEC. Maeda fought in DREAM's featherweight Grand Prix losing in the second round though he recently defeated Chase Beebe and Kleber Koike though that victory was due to illegal groin strikes. Prior to Maeda, Miguel defeated Chase Beebe who is since 0-4 (granted one was an outright robbery) and currently resides outside the WEC.
Update: If we were to quantify Torres' last four victories, then beginning in February 2008 the four fighters that Torres defeated are a combined 4-10 and 1-5 in the WEC. The one victory is split decision by Mizugaki who is the only fighter still in the WEC.
MMA is an extremely fluid sport that is still evolving at a breakneck pace, yet from just two years ago only one opponent that Torres defeated in the WEC still resides in that promotion and that is Takeya Mizugaki.
Fans will certainly cherry pick which questions matter or which answers are correct based upon their biases but one thing is for sure; Torres' star is certainly dimmer than it was just a week ago.
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I’m real dissapointed in Miguel – actually shocked is a better word. He appears to be a totally different person in the cage – timid even, and all those stitches aren’t going to help things.
by The MMA Manifesto on Mar 8, 2010 2:55 PM EST reply actions
Yeah I'm torn with this one...
He seemed very tentative but he was getting handled pretty good, so I’m not so sure it would have helped had he gone crazy. I want him to be the world beater I thought he was but I’m having my doubts. Maybe Benavidez is that good.
I was wondering how he would recover from the Bowles loss. His only defeat before that was a decision loss 6 years ago which he later avenged, he had never been finished, and certainly not KTFO’d. So of course the question was will he just write it off like “I just got caught, shit happens” or will it fuck with his head. I think it’s fair to say it seems like it fucked with his head… or at least it made him noticeably more cautious, for fear of getting caught again. Then as soon as he got cut, you could see all the heart drain out of him, and he quickly got subbed with ease.
As with the other two WEC weight classes, there’s suddenly a tougher and much deeper talent pool than there was only a year ago. What you showed about Torres’s former challengers used to be typical in all 3 divisions… challengers used to come and go, sometimes with only one or two WEC fights. It’s the difference between having real depth of talent, and having one great guy at the top with a bunch of average guys below him.
I always find these “the sky is falling” type articles interesting. He admittedly made training camp changes for the first time. Would it be too far out of line to expect an adjustment period? Also factor in that Benevidaz is no push over. Now if Torres comes out an lays in egg in his next fight or two, then commence “the sky is falling” chants. Until then I prefer to sit back and see how it plays out.
I tried not to make it too "the sky is falling" and allude to people being too “knee jerk” or “prisoner of the moment”.
watchkalibrun.com
good point
but that was the big thought that came to mind after that fight. And it is an interesting question.
Did you think it was open ended other than the stuff about Torres’ past opponents?
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I’ve read much harsher reviews of Torres since the fight, so in that respect it’s fair and just. I think too much attention is being drawn away from how much Benevidaz has improved. IMO, that’s the story.
Torres could ultimately be one of those guys that built this incredible record locally, had a nice run on a bigger stage, but just got passed up by more skilled/hungry guys. The jury is still out though.
I think too much attention is being drawn away from how much Benevidaz has improved. IMO, that’s the story
True, but this happens because of star power plus I am not sure that people are enthused about Cruz-Benavidez
watchkalibrun.com
I think Cruz-Benavidez II will be much different fight the second time around. Benavidez’s skills are improving at a much faster rate. Personally, I’m not sold on Cruz’s herky jerky style and I think it leaves him open to a takedown.
I am fine with it and would be interested but I am not sure if they will pull the trigger on it
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What other matchup would they give either guy that makes sense? IMO, Cruz-Benevidez II makes the most sense at this point.
Bowles-Torres II might not be a bad matchup at this point either, although I hate taking two guys with losses and matching them up and giving one of them another loss.
Does Franklin really deserved to be lumped in with the Wand’s, Cro Cop’s. Liddell’s of the world…in terms of his decline?
The split decision loss against Hendo, was BS IMO.
I realize he had his doors blown off by Silva…but who hasn’t?
IMO, the Vitor loss was shocking…but I figured that’s how the loss would gone down…if/when he were to lose.
He has not had multiple “shocking” KO losses in a row like alot of those other guys. IMO, he’s still legitimately top 10 in either MW or LHW. If he continues to get brutally KO’d in his next few outings, then by all means throw him in with those guys. But geez, give him a little credit until that if/does happen.
I put Franklin there just because I don’t think may people view him at or near the top in 185 and we aren’t really sure what to do with him at 205 though he has declined with two losses
watchkalibrun.com
Is it safe to assume you are including the Hendo loss as part of the “two losses”? Because again that one arguably should have/could have gone the other way. I would say wait until his next fight or two to see how he performs before laying him to rest.
I don’t recall even seeing Delagrotte or Pelligrino in his corner for the fight. It was Drysdale along with a couple of other unknowns. While Drysdale is obviously very decorated in BJJ, he doesn’t have a ton of experience cornering guys. IMO, Torres would have been better off with Delagrotte in his corner if he was planning on bringing one of his new trainers.
well, to be honest I don’t think it would’ve mattered who was in his corner. Torres’ didn’t work his jab like he needed to and threw leg kicks which played into what Benavidez wanted
watchkalibrun.com
Good point. At this point, I think it could be in his best interest to hook up with some great wrestlers to work on the particular skill.
Or
Get away from all the cross training, that IMO is starting to slowly KILL the sport. It’s important to be proficient in all aspects of the game, but it does no good to be a “jack of all trades, master of none.”
to hook up with some great wrestlers to work on the particular skill.
agreed
It’s important to be proficient in all aspects of the game, but it does no good to be a "jack of all trades, master of none."
I would like to call what fighters need to be as “jack of all trades but master of one”.
BANG! WITTY!
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by Zak Woods on Mar 8, 2010 5:01 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I really think
He overreacted to his loss to Bowles. I think it crushed him and made him doubt himself and made him make drastic changes when only minor changes needed to be made. I think people have figured him out a bit and he’s become a bit to predictable and he needs to make those little changes to get things right again. Benevidez had a great game plan just as Cruz did. I never did think that Faber, Brown, Bowles, or Torres was that much better than everybody else in those divisions. That’s what makes the little guys so great. There’s so much parity, like college football nowadays, that it makes every match exciting.
"I will do nothing lightly. When I walk, I will walk heavily. When I fight, I will fight with conviction. When I speak, I will speak strongly. When I love, I will love with everything"
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