UFC CHAMP THINKS TORRES IS POUND-FOR-POUND BEST

WHO’S THE BEST POUND-FOR-POUND FIGHTER IN THE WORLD?

UFC® CHAMP MIR SAYS IT’S MIGUEL ANGEL TORRES

WEC: TORRES VS. MIZUGAKI

Live From UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Sunday, April 5

Tickets on Sale Now

Las Vegas, NV (USA) – UFC® Interim Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir has faced some of the toughest competition in the world. From 6’3”, 265-pound monster Brock Lesnar to the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Tim Sylvia, Mir has defeated his opponents using precision punching and superior Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. With such an impressive resume, Mir is rightfully regarded as one of the sport’s best fighters.

He knows he’s not number one though, because the Las Vegas resident believes that honor should be bestowed upon WEC® bantamweight champion Miguel Angel Torres. Mir believes that Torres, who has won his last four WEC fights by stoppage, is simply a cut above the rest.

“I think he’s the number one fighter in the world right now,” Mir said of the 5’9, 135-pound Torres, whom he first met at a gym six years ago. “He has a warrior mindset. I think some guys make the mistake of thinking that being well-conditioned and having technical skills gives you what it takes to be a champion, and it doesn’t. There are so many things you have to deal with emotionally and in your mind. You have to conquer yourself. And that’s the difference between him and his opponents right now. He’s just mentally above everybody else.”

Boasting a record of 35-1, Torres is the type of fighter that Mir believes can dominate for a long time. A naturally gifted striker with an equally impressive ground game, Torres’ rise to fame is one that will be hard to ignore, Mir added. In fact, Mir thinks that Torres’ knack for finishing fights could earn him comparisons to one of the sports world’s most recognizable names.

“He just destroys people so badly inside the ring,” Mir, who will handle color commentary for VERSUS when Torres defends the bantamweight crown against Takeya Mizugaki on April 5, said. “I think it’s kind of like (boxer) Roy Jones back in ’97 and ’98 when he was just smashing people so easily. He would go play a semi-pro basketball game and then fly to a fight and then mock people, dance and dominate in the ring. I think that’s the kind of the level that Miguel is showing right now. He is just smashing people so definitively and making it look too easy.”

Mir realizes that things won’t be as easy when Torres takes on dangerous Japanese striker Mizugaki (11-2-2). Given the Japanese star’s affinity for trading leather, Mir acknowledges that Torres will have his hands full inside the cage at the UIC Pavilion in his hometown of Chicago. Still, he believes that the WEC® champion will find a way to score an impressive victory. Thanks to his grit and determination, Torres will have it no other way, Mir said.

“The only way I could see anybody really beating Miguel at this point is if they could just take him down and really just try to stall out in his guard and not get submitted,” Mir said. “If that’s even possible. But again, his hips are so fast and his guard is so lethal, I don’t know if anybody can survive that way. I don’t see anybody out there really standing up with him because of the height advantage he has, the speed, his toughness, his chin, his power and his killer instinct. And if they really try to open up their game and roll with him they will really be in trouble. He is just very determined and single-minded.”

Tickets for World Extreme Cagefighting are on sale now and priced at $45.00, $75.00, $125.00 and $175.00. Tickets are available for purchase through the UIC Pavilion, online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 312-559-1212.

World Extreme Cagefighting® will be televised live nationally on VERSUS beginning at 9:00pm ET/6:00pm PT. All live WEC events are presented in Hi-Definition (HD) where available. For more information and how to find VERSUS in your local viewing area, visit http://www.versus.com/findversus.

In the co-main event, Island Lake, Illinois’ Jeff Curran looks to make his case for a shot at the belt when he battles undefeated phenom Joseph Benavidez.

A longtime favorite of the Midwest fight scene, former WEC featherweight contender and title challenger Jeff “Big Frog” Curran (31-10-1) has long had his sights set on Miguel Torres, and he has even dropped down to the bantamweight division to chase his local rival. There is business to take care of for both men first though, and for Curran, that means his clash with Joseph Benavidez on April 5th. So expect the 30-year old Curran to come out with guns blazing in order to move forward in the crowded bantamweight division.

The 24-year old Joseph Benavidez (9-0) came to the WEC last December with a lot of hype due to his raw talent and impressive previous performances, and he lived up to the expectations with a big win over Danny Martinez. Now the stablemate of former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber is ready for the next step in his career, and for him, there would be nothing better than to add the name Jeff Curran to his victims list.

All bouts subject to change. For more information about current WEC fight news, visit wec.tv.

About World Extreme Cagefighting

The WEC brand is recognized as one of the premier mixed martial arts organizations in the United States. Founded in 2001, the WEC features many of the most prominent athletes in the sport of mixed martial arts today. Owned and operated by WEC Holdings LLC., and headquartered in Las Vegas, Nev., the WEC produces live and taped events annually that are distributed through the Versus network. WEC programming is also available on Fox Sports en Espanol. In addition to its U.S distribution, WEC programming is shown on the TSN network in Canada and Cadena Tres in Mexico. For more information and current WEC fight news, visit wec.tv. World Extreme Cagefighting® and WEC® are registered trademarks, trademarks, trade dress or service marks owned exclusively by WEC Holdings, LLC in the United States and other jurisdictions and are licensed to WEC Productions, LLC.

About VERSUS

VERSUS celebrates real competition across all platforms (VERSUS.com, VERSUS on Demand and VERSUS HD). Now in more than 74 million homes, the network is the national cable home of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the IndyCar® Series as well as best-in-class events such as The Tour de France, Davis Cup Tennis, the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) and Professional Boxing. The network also offers collegiate sports featuring nationally-ranked teams from top conferences such as the Pac-10, Big 12, Mountain West and Ivy League. VERSUS features the best field sports programming on television and is a destination for sports fans, athletes and sportsmen to find exclusive, competitive events and original programs, such as TapouT, Sports Soup and The Contender, that audiences can't find elsewhere. VERSUS, a wholly owned company of Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK), is distributed via cable systems and satellite operators throughout the United States.