UFC 126 Preview: Miguel Torres vs Antonio Banuelos

Former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres will look to continue his climb back to the top of the division when he meets Antonio Banuelos on Saturday (Feb. 5, 2011) at UFC 126: "Silva vs. Belfort," which will take place live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The 135-pound scrap between Torres and Banuelos will kick-off the pay-per-view card, which is headlined by a middleweight world title bout between long-time division champion Anderson Silva and challenger Vitor Belfort.

It's an odd spot for Torres, who has grown used to headlining (or at least co main eventing) most of his appearances with the WEC over the past few years. See, not too long ago, Torres was considered by many to be among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world.

Two straight defeats, however, have called that distinction into question. The good news is he's back on the winning track and the East Chicago, Ill., golden boy has a chance to chart a new -- and perhaps more prestigious -- career course inside the Octagon this Saturday night.

It won't come easy, however. They never do at this high level of competition. And Mr. Banuelos is one tough customer. He's won four of his last five fights, losing only to the most recent 135-pound division number one contender Scott Jorgensen during that span.

Will Torres stake his claim as still one of the best in the business this weekend or will Banuelos score the upset? The outcome of the bantamweight bout -- the first of its kind to be featured on a UFC main card -- is anyone's guess.

Here is how we see the historic clash unfolding:

Miguel Torres:

Record: 38-3 overall, 6-2 WEC

Key wins: Chase Beebe (WEC 32), Yoshiro Maeda (WEC 34), Takeya Mizugaki (WEC 40)

Key losses: Brian Bowles (WEC 42), Joseph Benavidez (WEC 47)

How he got here: Torres spent a long time fighting almost exclusively in Indiana, competing in 31 of his first 33 fights there. Then he got the call to compete in World Extreme Cagefighting's bantamweight division. After a quick submission win in his first fight, the 33-1 Torres got a title shot at incumbent Chase Beebe. Torres dominated the champion, winning the belt via guillotine choke in just under four minutes. Torres would go on to defend his title three times, winning Fight of the Night honors in two of those fights, besting Yoshiro Maeda in a legitimate 2008 "Fight of the Year" candidate at the fabled WEC 34 event, stopping Manny Tapia at WEC 37 and then engaging in a 2009 "Fight of the Year" contender with Takeya Mizugaki at WEC 40. Despite what Frank Mir led many to believe on commentary, it was an extremely close fight that Torres was able to eek out.

That fight showed Torres wasn't infallible and that came to fruition at WEC 42 when he defended against Brian Bowles. The less-experienced Bowles, with only seven professional fights to his credit, knocked Torres out in the first round, dropping him with a right and brutally finishing him off on the ground. Torres looked to bounce back against Joseph Benavidez at WEC 47 but the Team Alpha Male fighter would have none of that, badly cutting Torres with an elbow before finishing him off with a guillotine choke in the second round. With his back against the wall, Torres completely changed his approach to fighting, seeking out the guidance of trainer Firas Zahabi for his fight with Charlie Valenica at WEC 51. The change paid off significantly for Torres, who looked like a different fighter in dominating and submitting Valencia with a second-round rear-naked choke.

How he gets it done: A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, it's no surprise a majority of Torres' wins have come via submission. In fact, 60 percent (23-of-38) of his victories have come that way. Torres also has added nine (T)KO's and six decisions, giving him an 84 percent finishing percentage in his wins. More impressively, Torres has finished five of his six WEC wins with no fight leaving the third round. In his fight with Valencia, Torres dropped his opponent twice in the second round before finishing him off with a choke, showing well-rounded skills.

Antonio Banuelos:

Record: 18-6 overall, 9-5 WEC

Key wins: Cole Escovedo (WEC 23), Scott Jorgensen (WEC 41)

Key losses: Eddie Wineland (WEC 20), Charlie Valencia (WEC 26), Scott Jorgensen (WEC 48)

How he got here: A 14-time veteran of the WEC dating back to WEC 5 in 2002, Banuelos, like Torres, will be making his UFC debut here. The 31-year old Banuelos, who has fought professionally since 2001, has had trouble getting rolling in the last five years, fighting 12 times and never winning more than three straight. In the last five years, Banuelos has gone 8-4 but his losses have come at crucial times. A knockout loss to Eddie Wineland at WEC 20 snapped an eight-fight win streak and a loss to Scott Jorgensen at WEC 48 snapped a three-fight win streak. Banuelos was able to rebound from that loss, though, with a decision win over Scott George at WEC 51. Now, he steps into by far the biggest spotlight of his career when he meets Torres on the main card of one of the most-anticipated events in quite some time.

How he gets it done: Of Banuelos' 18 career wins, 10 have come by decision, including his last seven in the WEC. He holds seven victories by (T)KO and just one by submission, coming against Mike Lindquist at WEC 14 in 2005. For the record, Lindquist is now 6-19 (1 NC) and that fight was the second of a seven-fight losing streak to open his career. Banuelos has two losses each by knockout, submission and decision in his career, although he hasn't been submitted since 2002.

Fight "X-Factor:" Torres has been a champion in the WEC but this will be a far cry from the scene he competed in in Indiana and the WEC. The same goes for Banuelos. Will these two get the dreaded "Octagon jitters" competing in their first UFC fights? I don't see it being a problem for Torres, as he is used to the attention, but it could potentially be a problem for Banuelos, although the experience of competing on two big WEC Sacramento cards will help. Also, will Torres be the same fighter we saw against Valencia? There's no doubt that version of Torres can compete in this division. Can he keep rolling here?

Bottom line: Clearly Torres' fight to lose. The oddsmakers have made him a large favorite for a reason. He's a much more skilled and talented fighter than Banuelos, who will be stepping up in the biggest fight of his career. If we see the same Torres with the same (and potentially more) improvements we saw against Valencia, he should run away with this one. He's going to have a huge reach advantage which he'll use to keep Banuelos at bay. I see Torres doing some damage on the feet before submitting Banuelos late in the first round.

Who do you think's going to win? Let us know in the poll and express why in the comments section!