"I think this fight is more important than having a title shot or a rematch with Bowles. This fight is going to show what kind of fighter I am and show how I can bounce back from a loss. This fight is going to send a statement to everyone else that I'm going to face in the futureÂ… I'm going to show that what happened was a fluke and that it happened for a reason and that reason is to make me a better fighter. I want to show in the first 2 to 3 minutes of that fight that I'm a better fighter," stated former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torrres as he talked about his upcoming March 6 return to the cage against Joseph Benavidez. Check it out!
PC: You recently celebrated a birthday. How did everything go?
MT: It was good man. Alls I did was eat some pizza for lunch. I didn't do anything special.
PC: I'm sure camp is full steam ahead. How is camp going?
MT: It's going real good man. I got the best grappling guy that you can think of, Robert Drysdale. I also have Scott Bieri and some of Robert Drysdale's Black Belts. I have an Ohio State wrestler and a Purple Belt in Jiu Jitsu; just some of the best grappling guys that you can think of. They are just trying to make a gameplan to beat Benavidez. I'm watching tape and I'm looking at things that he does right now, but I'm just trying to make myself a better fighter. I want my grappling to be better than everybody's, not just Benavidez. I'm not just trying to make a gameplan to win in March, but a gameplan that's going to beat everybody. I'm here for another week and then I'm going to be heading to Boston, but I feel good man. Training is pretty hard and I really don't have much time for anything but training and watching cartoons.
PC: You have always done your own thing. You have been saying that since the first time I spoke to you. Is it hard or awkward to take direction from someone else at this stage of your career?
MT: Nah, it feels good man to have someone get behind me and tell me what I am doing wrong and what I am doing right. That was the problem that I had in the past. I would look at video of guys that I was going to fight and see what they were doing wrong and try to exploit their weaknesses and I was constantly trying to fight them where they wanted to fight. And now I'm concentrating on what I'm doing wrong and making it right and making it better. I'm just trying to evolve a little bit, be smart about what I'm doing and having somebody behind me and having that little voice in my head is good for me man. It makes me not so crazy and calms me down a little bit.
PC: When you win that many fights consecutively and had the reign that you had, is it tough to find flaws?
MT: I'm finding a lot of things that I did wrong. I shouldn't have let Bowles bring the fight to me, I shouldn't have chased him and I should have just taken my time. I should have had an Anderson Silva approach to the fight and instead, I was fighting like a pissed off teenager. I wanted to try to put him away too fast and anybody at this level of the game is going to be dangerous. Whether they have 7 fights or 40 fights, they are going to be dangerous, especially with those kind of gloves. One punch can change everything. It's happened to Chuck Liddell, St. Pierre and Anderson Silva. It happens to everybody, but you never think it can happen to you until it does.
PC: Joseph Benavidez is a tough guy with a strong base. How are you approaching this fight?
MT: I'm not overlooking him at all. He comes from a great camp. Urijah's camp trains pretty hard. He showed some good standup in his last fight. He had an impressive knockout over Yahya. I haven't seen him on the ground too much. I don't know what his wrestling pedigree is, but I'm assuming it's great considering he's wrestled his whole life. He's short, so it's going to make him harder to submit; shorter arms, legs and a more stocky neck, but it will give me an advantage in the standup game. I think he's going to want to stand with me. I foresee him eating a lot of jabs and a lot of my punches and kicks and I believe that will force him into a clinch or a takedown and it will be in my world again. So, like I said, I'm not looking past any of his abilities. I know he's a tough guy, but I'm training real good and real smart with some good guys.
PC: Last time we talked, you spoke about becoming a bigger bantamweight. Are you happy with the gains you have made so far?
MT: Yeah I am. I'm walking around at 155 right now. I feel good. Normally at this time, I'm walking around at 145, so I feel pretty good. My cardio is there. I have been doing a lot of sparring and rolling with some high level grapplers and I feel good.
PC: You said that the loss was a blessing in disguise, but how important does that loss make this fight?
MT: I think this fight is more important than having a title shot or a rematch with Bowles. This fight is going to show what kind of fighter I am and show how I can bounce back from a loss. This fight is going to send a statement to everyone else that I'm going to face in the future.
PC: When a fighter takes a loss and gets knocked out after being on top for so long, they tend to look for things out of themselves within the first 2 to 3 minutes of their return fight. What are you looking for out of yourself in the 1st round of this fight in March?
MT: I'm going to show that what happened was a fluke and that it happened for a reason and that reason is to make me a better fighter. I want to show in the first 2 to 3 minutes of that fight that I'm a better fighter.
PC: I know you have been a big part of the "Legalize MMA in New York" campaign. What would that mean for you to see fights take place there?
MT: I think it's a huge step man for the sport. Madison Square Garden is one of the places where some of the greatest boxers in the world have fought at, so why not have some of the greatest mixed martial artist in the world fight there? This sport's taking over and I think a lot of boxing protagonists don't want to let us come in, but if the sport gets into New York, it's going to be more than mainstream. It's going to be in everyday culture. Having it illegal in certain states is holding us back a little bit.
PC: If Cruz defeats Bowles, would you prefer a title shot or a rematch with Bowles?
MT: For me, the Bowles rematch is more important than a title shot. I have had the title and it's a piece of candy around your waist, but it's also a bigger distraction. I think for me, to get the rematch with Bowles and getting a loss back from him is more important than getting the title back. The title is not going anywhere. I will get the title back eventually, but I would rather get a rematch with Bowles first.
PC: What's your prediction for the Bowles-Cruz fight?
MT: I think Bowles can put Cruz away if he catches him with one of those right hands, but other than that, I think Cruz is a better wrestler and he has good angles in his striking, so if Cruz fights a smart gameplan, I think he can walk away with the decision. I don't see Cruz putting Bowles away, but I see him winning a decision. We haven't seen Bowles touched yet, so it's hard to say.
PC: Good luck. I look forward to finally meeting you in Ohio. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
MT: I appreciate all of my fans that follow me on Twitter and I can't wait for March 6th!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]