Gracie Legacy Lives on in Torres (2025)

The first time the late Carlson Gracie Sr. laid eyes on MiguelTorres at his Chicago academy, he asked, “Who’s the littleMexican kid?” Theirs was a union born out of pure coincidence.

“I didn’t even know who he was,” Torres says. “I got invited to hisgym, but I didn’t go at first. When I started, I trained for abouttwo or three weeks. Carlson wasn’t even there.”

Advertisement

Though separated by almost half a century in age, teacher andstudent formed a quick bond, as Torres developed and honed hisTasmanian Devil skills under Gracie’s nurturing wing. He was nextin the long line of accomplished Gracie disciples, joining MuriloBustamante, Mario Sperry,AndrePederneiras and RicardoLiborio.

“He was very important in my life,” Torres says. “Carlson built somany great fighters. I always believed I could do something big,and him believing in me had me believing it had to be true.”

Their time together was brief, however, as life threw a monkeywrench into their plans. Less than two years after they met, Graciedied of heart failure in a Chicago hospital at age 72. Met by theunexpected news that his mentor had passed, Torres mourned alongwith the rest of the martial arts community.

“It still affects me now,” he says. “He was more like a mentor tome than a coach. I was with him the day before he died. Carlson hadasked me to make a CD for him. The next day, I came back, and hewas gone.”

Torres bears his teacher’s legacy proudly, and everyone associatedwith mixed martial arts now knows the answer to Gracie’s question.Ranked number one in the world at 135 pounds, the little Mexicankid’s a superstar.

As reigning World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion,Torres will carry confidence and momentum into his title defenseagainst the unbeaten Manny Tapiain the WEC 37 main event on Wednesday at the Hard Rock Hotel andCasino in Las Vegas. A former King of the Cage titleholder, Tapiapresents a number of challenges inside the cage. Torres expects adogfight.

Photo by Thomas M.Rozdzynski

Miguel Torres bears his
teacher's legacy proudly.

“I’ve never really fought a guy like Manny,” Torres says. “He comesout with real heavy hands. I think he’s going to come out fast andlook for a flash knockout. A lot of guys say they’re going to comeout and bang with me. I think he’s one of the few who will, andthat makes this an interesting fight for me.”

Torres’ path to self discovery was paved by years of competitiveanonymity and seemingly insurmountable odds, as the 135-pounddynamo earned his stripes fighting for pennies in Indiana barrooms,sometimes against men who outweighed him by 70 pounds.

One night, more than any other, holds special significance forTorres. On Nov. 22, 2003, he made an unfamiliar and uncomfortablewalk from the ring to his dressing room, the tears of fanstrumpeting his departure from the Hammond Civic Center in Hammond,Ind.

In his first appearance since reconstructive knee surgery, the then22-year-old Torres dropped a unanimous decision to RyanAckerman and knew, for the first time as a professionalfighter, how it felt to fail. Torres sold 2,000 tickets to theIronheart Crown VI show he was set to headline. In all, the crowdswelled to some 4,000, most of them there to see the East Chicago,Ind., native in action.

“I’d just come back from ACL surgery,” Torres says. “I was supposedto fight [Mustafa] Hussaini, but he pulled out, and when theycouldn’t find a replacement, I agreed to fight Ackerman at acatchweight.”

He entered the ring as a heavy favorite, a perfect 19-0 record intow, and threatened to dismiss Ackerman early, first with aguillotine choke and then with a triangle. As they returned totheir feet eager to re-engage, Torres realized his 18-month,injury-induced layoff had taken a far greater toll on him thanfirst thought.

“When I stood up, my legs were gone,” Torres says. “He took me downand mounted me. It’s still the only time in my career I’ve beenmounted. I finished the fight, but I knew I had lost. Walking outand seeing all my fans crying had the biggest impact on my career.I vowed then that I’d never be outworked again.”

Five years later, Torres (34-1) stands atop the bantamweight world,WEC crown in hand, as he carves out a legacy likely to stand forgenerations. He has won 15 consecutive bouts -- including asubmission victory over Ackerman in their 2005 rematch -- and hasfinished all but one of his opponents during a streak that spans262 weeks and four days. Experience taught him to swallow hisfears.

“I’m not scared of anybody in my weight class,” Torres says. “I’vebeen in there with guys who were stronger than me. Those fights allbuilt my game.”

Since he entered the WEC in 2007, Torres’ popularity has exploded.He claims the number of students who train at his home base --Torres Martial Arts in Hammond, Ind. -- has nearly doubled. Dailye-mails flood his inbox from all across the globe.

“This past year, my fan base has grown worldwide,” Torres says. “Iget e-mails from Japan, Mexico and Europe. Everything changed. Igot onto some pound-for-pound lists, but people haven’t seen halfof what I can do yet.”

His training sessions are the stuff of legend -- he was doing 1,000crunches a day as a 7-year-old soccer player -- and does not haveto dig deep for motivation. The first of three children born toblue-collar parents, Torres understands the benefit of hard workand remembers what it was like before the bright lights of the WECshone upon him.

“There’s no way I want to go back,” he says. “I’ve seen guys dowell and make it and then have to go back to the smaller shows. I’mgoing to fight hard to stay where I’m at. It makes me train so muchharder.”

Inspiration comes from another source, his young daughter, not yet2. Fatherhood has only hardened his resolve.

“Every time I train, I think about my daughter,” Torres says. “Iwant to do all I can to provide for her. When it’s below zerooutside at seven in the morning, all I have to do is look over ather.”

Gracie Legacy Lives on in Torres (2025)

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Rob Wisoky

Last Updated:

Views: 5892

Rating: 4.8 / 5 (68 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rob Wisoky

Birthday: 1994-09-30

Address: 5789 Michel Vista, West Domenic, OR 80464-9452

Phone: +97313824072371

Job: Education Orchestrator

Hobby: Lockpicking, Crocheting, Baton twirling, Video gaming, Jogging, Whittling, Model building

Introduction: My name is Rob Wisoky, I am a smiling, helpful, encouraging, zealous, energetic, faithful, fantastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.