Miguel Torres: "I let referees know that's the way I want to go out":
It was a long road to get to where you were as a champion. Do you feel you have the dedication and desire still to climb back up the ladder?
"Ah man, it's only made me a more dangerous fighter bro. Brian Bowles just woke up a sleeping giant. My style…I pretty much coached myself and ran my own training camps. I hadn't lost in a long time, but after this loss, it's going to make me revamp everything. I just got off the phone with Mark DellaGrotte and I'm working with a couple different coaches to make my game step up. I always went for the kill. I'm the hunter. I've always been going out there to hunt people. I should have relied on my experience and made him come to me. So if anything, it's going to make me more of a dangerous fighter. This doesn't faze me at all. I know these things happen. It's happened to all of the great fighters in the world. We're just going to see in my next fight if it motivated me in a positive or a negative way."
I don't know if you re-watched the fight yet, but you took some shots while you were out. Have you checked it out and has there been any contact with Josh Rosenthal?
"People told me about that. They said I took too many punches after the fact, but you know what man? I talk to all of the referees before the fight and I let them know that's the way I want to go out. I want to go out; I want to go out! I don't want there to be a question of if I was okay still or still awake. If I'm going to go out, I want to go out man. I respect Rosenthal for doing that! People thought it might have been too much, but for me, it's not enough. Every time I go out, I put my life on the line and if I'm going to lose a fight, that's the way I want to go out. I want to go out!"
-- More at Fighthype.com
almost 3 years ago
Nick Thomas
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Fair enough
No one can ever say that Torres isn’t a tough guy, but it’s still not advisable to take 4 extra punches o the head once you’re already unconscious. Your family and friends don’t want to see you brain damaged.
Not to mention, it doesn't matter what you tell the ref pre-fight.
He has a job to do which includes protecting you from your own ego.
by Razreshat on Aug 12, 2009 12:18 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Machismo
At its best. lol
I'm the kind of girl who loves to watch a GOOD fight!
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No question...
…Torres is going to come back a more dangerous fighter after his loss to Bowles. I’m anxious to see the revamped Miguel Torres…
His style pretty much means he’s going put himself in harms way and eventually get caught. It’s also what makes him one of my favorite fighters too though because he looks for the finish every time.
To be honest though he didn’t look that great in the fight, tentative, hesitant.. just was an off night I think. Might have turned it around before Bowles turned his lights out.
i applaud his courage but seriously question his...
intelligence. that’s a pretty f*cking stupid and short sighted thing to say to a referee.
it’s manly
Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. - Mike Tyson
by lovingmma25 on Aug 12, 2009 12:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Obviously taking several shots after you're unconscious makes you a real man, right?
Seriously, the bravado some fighters express is so lame. It’s equivalent to bragging about dick size or how many chicks a guy can get. I suppose it’s part of the fight game, but c’mon. We all know Torres is one tough dude, and he’s a professional in a sport that most people would never think of doing, but doesn’t he have family? Doesn’t he have friends that care about him? That sort of blatant disregard for one’s health is just stupid. For Torres, for his family and for MMA in general. Cause the last thing this sport needs is a death in the cage/ring.
I love me some Sexyama!
it’s not that uncommon for fighters to say something like that
Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. - Mike Tyson
by lovingmma25 on Aug 12, 2009 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Its not about just macho-bravado b.s., its a cultural thing. As a mexican myself, we would rather be severely beaten in a fight than to have there be questionable circumstances surrounding losses.So there will be no question as to why we lost, and who the better fighter was. Its all about heart with us, i have boxed since i was a youngster, and that was what i was taught. Take it how you ever you would like, but thats just how things are.
Also you are never supposed to quit/throw in the towel. That is the refs job to protect the fighters. Which is why, for example, Oscar de la Hoya gets no respect in our community since he quit against pac man
Torres is a different kind of dude
He used to fight in bars for basically nothing coming up. Hes not putting anything fake out there, thats how he really is. He wants to be given the chance to recover rather than lose the fight on an early stoppage.
Is it dangerous? Probably, but for a guy like him in his division, if he isn’t the very best in the sport he can’t really make a living doing what hes doing for more than a few years. At 135 losses can kill a career. Its the sad truth but when people say he should think about his family I believe that he is thinking about his family.
"Japan is half-Machida" - iiowyn
I think he hasn’t seen the replay yet at the time of the interview, but you have. Refs are supposed to protect those guys, protect their futures, good referees stop fights when they are over so the dude can fight again another day. Thinking about your family = thinking about your future, be responsible, let referees do their damn important job.
You don't look like a Tanaka.
Mad respect for Torres
He’s a warrior, with the right mentality of being a champion.
He makes little money as it is….
To lose on a questionable stoppage sets back careers…
The last part about death was a little overboard, but the point remains.
Let him be definitively finished, before calling the fight.
But 4 or more punches late is too many, that’s the ref’s fault.
Personally, I’d rather see 1 or 2 quick punches late, rather than 1 or 2 punches too early.
Anything 3 or more either way is bad reffing.
"To lose on a questionable stoppage sets back careers…"
I’d argue that it sets up legitimate rematches and lengthen’s careers.
I really doubt he actually believes what he is saying there, he has a family and kids, he doesn’t want to die or be seriously injured.
That being said he really does a good job of keeping up appearances and never giving excuses, or complaining, for that I give him respect.
What reason does he have to not only not criticize Rosenthal, but applaud him for his decision?
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Respect
Much respect for Miguel Torres taking his defeat like a man and taking heat off of Rosenthal. Being an MMA ref is absolutely thankless…either you get things right and nobody notices or you screw up and everyone notices.
I still want to see Torres/Faber next. It makes perfect sense. Brown has a fight with Aldo coming up and Bowles will be on the shelf for a while. Have Cruz fight someone for the #1 contender spot and give Faber the fight with Torres when the hand heals. DO IT WEC!
MMAMoneyLine
I agree 100%
Especially when it’s a title fight, a guy like Miguel deserves the chance to recuperate, and the fans/ Bowles deserve a decisive finish.
I just hope that those shots haven’t done anything to his chin.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
like Chuck – strange how since Rampage knocked him out his chin hadn’t been the same since
Yes, time flies. And where did it leave you? Old too soon...smart too late. - Mike Tyson
Exactly.
Chuck’s also been in a lot of wars, though. Granted- Torres has like 35+ fights under his belt, so there’s probably some wear- and- tear for him too, but Chuck pretty much fought elite comp for the majority of his career.
Maybe they give him Mizugaki in a rematch, Curran, or Benavidez for a bounce- back fight? Cause IMO the Curran/ Mizugaki fight could’ve gone either way.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Aug 12, 2009 4:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Rec'd
For Leonidas reference.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Aug 12, 2009 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I can't believe
the criticism he’s taking here. Sure, chalk it up to bravado, machismo, or whatever you all want to call it. The fact remains that he’s right. Every single time a fighter steps into the cage, on the mats, or into the gym, they are putting their safety on the line. Accept it because it’s a reality of the sport. To hear everyone chastise him because he wants a definitive win (or in this case a loss) is absurd. If everyone here is so concerned about fighter safety, go watch tennis. People seem to forget, it’s a FIGHT. In a fight, people can and do get hurt. Fighters choose to be fighters. They know the consequences and have accepted them. It’s time we do the same.
by mictlantechutli on Aug 12, 2009 6:03 PM EDT reply actions
you can lose definitively
without taking several megashots while unconscious with your head against the canvas.
JUST BLEED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111
Seriously?
Come on man, you can do better than that. I’m not arguing that the ref did a great job, I’m saying that Torres has a fighters mentality. You’re going to criticize him for that? That fight got stopped late because Rosenthal was out of position. That’s not Miguel’s fault. Torres was in a title fight in what could be argued as the pinnacle of competition for a 135lber. Of course he would want to be stopped definitively.
by mictlantechutli on Aug 12, 2009 8:12 PM EDT up reply actions
There’s actually no evidence that several late shots to an unconscious fighter have any drastic negative health effects. Mass accumulations of blows over the course of longer fights and fighering are what have caused injuries in the past—if every fight ended with the loser taking unanswered shots then you might have a point.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
Not that I think that was an exemplary stoppage, by the way, just that I think people become far to hysterical over these situations.
It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.
I agree completely.
"I see him beating Anderson Silva. I see him picking him apart. Him at a 131 years old...(trails off)." - Tito Ortiz on Vitor Belfort at Affliction:DOR
by Rundownloser on Aug 12, 2009 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions
"if... then you might have a point"
I think my point stands since I wasn’t making a declaration that a couple of late shots are going to give Torres Parkinson’s. Again, I was just saying “definitive” doesn’t have to mean overkill.
but… regarding the “no evidence” thing, it’s way too early to say what the damages are going to end up being to a fighter that has a few fights finished with brutal KO’s followed by some equally brutal shots sans consciousness. You don’t really need an article in a medical journal to tell you that it ain’t good though. How would you even quantify such a thing? How can you separate the relatively few late-shot finishes from the standard KO’s/TKO’s, decision wars, intense sparring etc. that occur in a fighter’s career, and extrapolate from that the likelihood of ill after-effects from any individual one of them?
I didn't criticize him
for his mentality. I was clarifying that there is a big distinction between definitive and unnecessary. He was already definitively beaten before he took those last few shots while unconscious. Even if he was “asking for it” of course I don’t blame Torres.
I was also poking a little fun at the “go wash your pussy” tone of some of your statements, as if we shouldn’t be concerned about fighters taking hard shots after getting KTFO just because some ( well one, Torres) don’t seem to be concerned about it.
Fair enough
there was a bit of that in my tone, so point taken. But there’s people basically calling him a liar, and I don’t think there’s any basis for that. I bet the vast majority of fighters feel that way when in a title fight.
Maybe I should have said “point sparring” instead of “tennis” It was just the most boring thing I could think of at the time.
by mictlantechutli on Aug 12, 2009 9:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah I don't think he was lying
unless he’s faking in every interview that he’s ever done, because he’s pretty much that guy in all of them.
I think he’s very honest about how he feels, and to some people that can come off like he’s posturing. I liked how candid he was interview (before the Bowles fight) where he talked about his training sessions with Dellagrotte, and how he noticed his macho demeanor can negatively impact the way he fights
Big Heart
I still have a hard time seeing my favorites finally lose. Bowles looked great though.
by Motorcycle Johnny on Aug 14, 2009 5:45 PM EDT reply actions
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