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MIGUEL TORRES WANTS TO CEMENT HIS LEGACY
Torres at 145 or 155 would be awesome.
There's little argument when talking about the best bantamweight in the world.
The list starts and stops with WEC champion Miguel Torres, who next defends his title on April 5 against Japanese fighter Takeya Mizugaki. While Torres is focused on the task at hand, he admits he's looking to the future as well.
The future for Miguel Torres may very well take him out of the 135-pound weight class he lords over currently. According to a recent interview on MMAWeekly Radio, he is looking to cement a legacy in the sport.
"I do want to get up just to challenge myself in general. To fight a Mike Brown or Urijah Faber, or even at 55 in the UFC, has been a dream of mine since I first started doing this sport," Torres commented. "That was my goal when I first started out. I think to be a champion you always have to change. If your goal is to be a champ, a real champ, and you don't have any more goals, you're pretty much stuck in a rut."
The bantamweight king also alluded to the possibility of competing for only a few more years, although he has a lot of goals left to achieve before he leaves the sport.
"I'm always trying to achieve new things, and strive for bigger things, and I think I can stay at 35 and dominate for a while, but I don’t want to fight forever," stated Torres. "I don’t want to be a Randy Couture and fight until I'm 44, 45 years old. I want to fight 3 to 5 (more) years.
"I think once I've had my run at 35, I want to go up. I owe it to myself and to my fans. I'm no longer just a fighter or a champion; I'm an entertainer. I get a ton of e-mails and tons of responses of people who'd love to see me go up."
Torres has been running roughshod over some very good competition in the WEC's bantamweight division. While he admits that challengers like Brian Bowles, Jeff Curran, and Joseph Benavidez definitely hold intrigue; he understands the challenges of conquering other weight classes as well.
The current WEC champion and East Chicago, Ind., native is confident in what he could bring to any weight class he competes in. He admits that he may give up some size, but he'll make up the difference with his skill.
"I thought about it. I wouldn't even try to put on a bunch of weight. I'd walk in at 155 or whatever I walk around at to get it," Torres admitted. "I wouldn't try to put a bunch of weight on."
Admitting that his job at 135 pounds isn't quite finished yet, Torres hopes to get a few more fights in and then head into the deep waters of the higher weight classes.
"I want to stay where I'm at, make a living, make a legacy, and then I want to go up in weight and I want to test myself," he stated.
Miguel Torres will try to build on that legacy in his next title defense when he takes on Top 10 ranked bantamweight Takeya Mizugaki on April 5 at WEC 40 in Chicago.
The list starts and stops with WEC champion Miguel Torres, who next defends his title on April 5 against Japanese fighter Takeya Mizugaki. While Torres is focused on the task at hand, he admits he's looking to the future as well.
The future for Miguel Torres may very well take him out of the 135-pound weight class he lords over currently. According to a recent interview on MMAWeekly Radio, he is looking to cement a legacy in the sport.
"I do want to get up just to challenge myself in general. To fight a Mike Brown or Urijah Faber, or even at 55 in the UFC, has been a dream of mine since I first started doing this sport," Torres commented. "That was my goal when I first started out. I think to be a champion you always have to change. If your goal is to be a champ, a real champ, and you don't have any more goals, you're pretty much stuck in a rut."
The bantamweight king also alluded to the possibility of competing for only a few more years, although he has a lot of goals left to achieve before he leaves the sport.
"I'm always trying to achieve new things, and strive for bigger things, and I think I can stay at 35 and dominate for a while, but I don’t want to fight forever," stated Torres. "I don’t want to be a Randy Couture and fight until I'm 44, 45 years old. I want to fight 3 to 5 (more) years.
"I think once I've had my run at 35, I want to go up. I owe it to myself and to my fans. I'm no longer just a fighter or a champion; I'm an entertainer. I get a ton of e-mails and tons of responses of people who'd love to see me go up."
Torres has been running roughshod over some very good competition in the WEC's bantamweight division. While he admits that challengers like Brian Bowles, Jeff Curran, and Joseph Benavidez definitely hold intrigue; he understands the challenges of conquering other weight classes as well.
The current WEC champion and East Chicago, Ind., native is confident in what he could bring to any weight class he competes in. He admits that he may give up some size, but he'll make up the difference with his skill.
"I thought about it. I wouldn't even try to put on a bunch of weight. I'd walk in at 155 or whatever I walk around at to get it," Torres admitted. "I wouldn't try to put a bunch of weight on."
Admitting that his job at 135 pounds isn't quite finished yet, Torres hopes to get a few more fights in and then head into the deep waters of the higher weight classes.
"I want to stay where I'm at, make a living, make a legacy, and then I want to go up in weight and I want to test myself," he stated.
Miguel Torres will try to build on that legacy in his next title defense when he takes on Top 10 ranked bantamweight Takeya Mizugaki on April 5 at WEC 40 in Chicago.
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