Once the king of the hill in the Bantamweight division, Miguel Torres was an unstoppable force at 135-pounds. During his heyday, Torres ran through all contenders competing in the now defunct World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) organization.
Torres won and defended his title three times in the midst of his remarkable 17 fight win streak. What's even more impressive? Of those 17 wins, 15 of them were finishes.
Since that remarkable run, Torres has gone an even 3-3 with his most recent win coming over Nick Pace at UFC 139 back on November 19, 2011. However, Torres most recently won an even more important fight, his job back with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) after an inappropriate Twitter joke was cause for UFC President Dana White to cut the mullet-wearing brawler.
With a second chance to compete in the biggest mixed martial arts (MMA) stage of them all, Torres says he regrets his Twitter postings and looks forward to a new beginning inside the Octagon, starting with Michael McDonald at UFC 145 on April 21, 2012.
And though he knows he has his hands full with "Mayday," who is on a seven fight win streak of his own, that hasn't stopped the former champion from looking into his crystal ball and seeing a future title fight opposite current UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz.
Make the jump to see what he had to say via his MMA Fighting blog:
"I think Cruz, the champion, is slick and has some good moves, and is a very worthy No. 1 in the division. He has the recipe to beat the shorter wrestler, and has used that recipe to dominate all of the challengers he has come up against so far. I give him immense credit for what he has done. Dominick is solid on the ground and is also a great striker. However, despite his tremendous movement and activity rate, he doesn't have many knockouts on his record and rarely finishes fights. He may well hit hard, but his record doesn't suggest that at this moment in time. I truly believe my kind of style will cause Cruz nightmares, as I will stand in front of him, use all my experience and stand and throw from beginning to end. I'm the type of guy that will take a punch to give a punch. Then, if he decides to shoot in for a takedown, I know I will cause him plenty of problems on the ground, too. He knows this as well. Cruz is the guy we're all looking to one day fight, and it would be a shame if the two of us went our whole careers without fighting each other. Even though my sights are set on Michael McDonald for the next few weeks, I still like the sound of Cruz and a UFC title shot somewhere down the line."
A battle of old school vs. new school champions would be quite intriguing for fans, though Torres still has quite a ways to go before he can earn a title shot in the very talented 135-pound division.
Cruz may not have many finishes on his record as of late, with his last finish coming over four years ago, but the man knows how to win fights, with his lone loss to Urijah Faber being his only blemish on his otherwise perfect record.
"The Dominator" has since then avenged his loss to "The California Kid" and will have one more battle with his arch-rival at UFC 148 on July 7, 2012 to break the tie.
A win for Cruz and Torres in their next outings could get them closer to an eventual title fight, one Torres believes he has a very good chance of winning.
Do you agree?