Miguel Angel Torres Talks Mexico, Mizugaki and the Future

By Frank Curreri

Every fighter, no matter how tough, only has so many wars that his body can take. Miguel Torres is as rugged and self-confident as they come, but his grueling five-round punchfest with Takeya Mizugaki has friends and confidantes urging the bantamweight kingpin to rethink his strategies inside of the cage and “fight smarter.” Torres, by his own admission, has surprisingly opted for the path of most resistance in his past three WEC title defenses. All three fights were standup affairs, even though Torres’ ground arsenal dwarfed that of his adversaries. The 28-year-old champ seemed determined to prove a point and to entertain. And entertain he did: Two of those victories were riveting standup classics against Japanese sensations. In this revealing interview, the blunt, fast-talking champion addresses concerns about his fighting style, changes he may make in the future, how long he intends to fight (the answer may surprise you), and the odd thoughts that crossed his mind as he overcame Mizugaki down the stretch.

Q: First of all, what is it about Miguel Torres plus a Japanese fighter that equals an instant classic in the cage?
A: It’s in their culture I think. They’re proud and they grew up in a fight culture, similar to Mexicans. We grew up with boxing and they grew up with martial arts. I don’t know, this guy just didn’t want to go down. They also think they have some of the best guys in the world at this weight class, so when he came into this fight I don’t think he was doing it for himself, I think he was doing it more for his country.

Q: It was a great fight between you and Mizugaki. It was a close fight and you were complimentary afterward to Mizugaki. Is there any second-guessing the strategy you used for the fight?
A: No, I wouldn’t say there is any second-guessing of my strategy. My corner did tell me to get the fight to a place where I would have more of an advantage (meaning the ground). In the first round I started off kind of slow. I was trying to establish my jab and make it more of a boxing match, but Mizugaki would have no part of that. He knew I had a really big jab and he was waiting for it so he could throw a big right hand and try to knock me out. In the second round I came back. In the third round I got caught – I think I was trying to weave or bob – and I ran into an uppercut and it cut me. From there I went crazy. I didn’t know how bad the cut was, no one told me how bad it was. But I knew I was losing. The times I did shoot for a takedown it was because my corner told me to shoot on him.

“The fight was a great fight. I brought a lot of emotion into and tried to perform for my home crowd and my family. I knew he was a great striker and I felt like if I stood with him, and made it a war, then our fight would go down in history. I don’t want to go out there where I submit a guy with a guillotine or knock a guy out who can’t strike. I’m not saying I want to make every fight a war, but I want to be known for having a couple of those wars. I don’t just want to be a guy who wins all the time, I want to be a guy that goes out there and puts on a show.

Q: I scored the fourth and fifth rounds for you. You took over down the stretch and seemed to want it more and fatigue started to slow down Mizugaki. What did your corner say to you in between those rounds? Did they say something to inspire you or was it more something you had said to yourself?
A: The only thing I heard in between rounds was my corner telling me that my eye was OK. One guy started telling me to watch the right hand and to slip and throw hooks. I didn’t really listen to my corner that much, I just listened to the cut man telling me that I was OK. In the fourth and fifth rounds I thought of my daughter and her (financial) security and how the outcome of this fight would benefit her, not me.

Q: Reed Harris, co-General Manager of the WEC, spoke of how in fourth round Mizugaki hit you with a shot, and then an odd thought crossed your mind. You thought about Dave Sholler, the WEC’s public relations manager. What was that about?
A: I said “F--- Dave Sholler” in the back of my head. I had done so many interviews leading up to this fight, a lot more than other fights I have had. I was out of town for two weeks, I was out of my gym for two weeks (doing PR), it was always something. They had me doing a lot of PR. It was ridiculous man.

Q: Were you ever hurt during the fight?
A: No. The worst thing that happened was that I would get hit and get a little pissed, but I was never hurt during the fight. I just remember thinking to myself was how he could take so many shots, because he was taking a lot of shots. I was hitting him with knees to the body. I know they were affecting him but he wasn’t showing it; it was frustrating. But he’s tough as shit, man. I hit him with everything I had and tried to knock him out and he just took it all.

Q: Do you worry at all that perhaps these sorts of all-out-wars will shorten your career? We’ve seen that with Mexican boxers, in particular, where by the time they are in their late 20s they are showing some serious mileage and slowing down from too many toe-to-toe battles.
A: No, I don’t think so. I’m not trying to fight another 10 years. I’m trying to fight another three to five years, and I want my fights to be big and exciting. I’m a fighter who doesn’t hold anything back and wants to put on a great show. I want to put 135 on the map. I’m not saying I’m going to have fights like that all of the time – I’ve already discussed that with my manager and my agent about being a little smarter. A lot of guys were worried in my last fight. I have a lot of tools in my arsenal and I’m going to come in with more of a game plan the next time and make a smarter fight.

Q:  Were you able to speak with Mizugaki following the fight?
A: Yeah, we spoke through an interpreter afterwards. Mizugaki came up to me and thanked me for the fight, he said he appreciated it. He said he was very honored to fight me and had never fought anyone like me before and that he wishes that if we both win our future fights that maybe we could fight again in the future. I told him, “For sure, I’d love to.” I told him I have a lot of respect for him and the way he came out and fought me. He came into my hometown and fought me and I’d love to fight him again.

Q: Have you been able to see video of the fight since you fought?
A: No I haven’t man. I was in Mexico. 

Q: In your memory of the fight, some people may have scored Mizugaki winning the fight. Could you condemn anyone who had him winning?
A: No, I mean, it would just depend on what you thought of the fight. I gave him the first round and the third round. The first round he was active and catching me, and I was cold in the first round. I think I won the second round. The third round I think he won on damage, I think I was doing more in the round until I got cut. I know I won the fourth and the fifth rounds. I know a couple of scored it for me and gave me four rounds. I can see it either way. In a three-round fight I would have lost, but in a three-round fight I would have fought differently in the first round.

Q: What kind of feedback have you received from people who saw that fight?
A: The feedback I’ve received is that that was one of the best fights they have ever seen. Two guys going out there and letting it all hang out.

Q: What kind of feedback have you been getting from your girlfriend and your family?
A: They haven’t talked about it much. They want me to fight smarter next time.

Q: You're back in ‘family man’ mode. How long before you go back into ‘kill’ mode and get back into the gym?
A: I was back in there on Friday. I felt like s**t on Monday (the day after the fight). I didn’t get to sleep. I left Monday morning to Mexico. I went and did some (public relations) stuff for the WEC. I didn’t even have time to rest, man. I got done with my fight, hit the shower, put some glue on my forehead and I was off to Mexico, man. It was like my fifth trip to Mexico.

Q: Can you notice a bigger reception from the Mexican fans, signs that the sport and your popularity are growing there?
A: It’s huge, man. When we first went out there I had a couple meetings and interviews. Every time I go there the sport has grown more and more. This time I did three days of non-stop interviews – I did like 20 interviews a day with newspapers, magazines, ESPN, national morning shows, it was pretty crazy out there. Mexicans love their fighting – people just need to see MMA and experience it and it will be a hit.

Q: Where is the MMA movement in Mexico right now?
A: I’d say they are five to 8 years behind us, but that market can grow so fast. Mexicans love boxing and taekwondo, they love fighting in general. It’s a fight-oriented culture. So when you expose them to MMA, they love that. Just a little more time and they will be all about MMA.

Q: Do you think that in the next few years we will see a great fighter actually who was actually born and raised in Mexico, as opposed to great Mexican-American fighters?
A: I think in the near future it will continue to be Mexican-Americans. Mexican fighters will need a little more time because they need to work on their whole game. You might be a great striker or a great grappler but now you have to have an all-around game. In a couple of years it will be different, though.