It was last December when Miguel Angel Torres (39-4-0) was fired from the UFC for a controversial comment he made on his Twitter account. When he was let back in a few weeks later, it was business as usual for the former WEC Bantamweight champion. “I came back to my home and gym and began teaching class like normal.” said Torres.
Torres will return to the cage this Saturday at UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans. His most recent win was last November at UFC 139 over Nick Pace. It was a unanimous decision win and being aware that he wasn’t finishing fights anymore, Torres made a few changes and additions to his training camp. The biggest was training in Boca Raton Florida at the Jaco Hybrid Training Center with the Blackzilians, led by Rashad Evans. Evans is also fighting in the main event on Saturday against current Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones. “The energy in the gym is insane.” said Torres. “Everyday they try to push the pace and push the level up. I know Rashad is in great hands and is going to be in great shape.” Torres is also spending a lot of time in Montreal at Tristar Gym, home to current UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre. “I like training at Tristar because there is a lot of guys my weight there.” said Torres. “For me, being able to train with the best guys in the world is number one.”
Not only has Torres been a traveling man with his camps, he also made one of the most important changes to his fight game. Torres made a drastic change to his diet. “I never really felt bad with what I ate,” said Torres. “But, I started feeling more energy with the change and I felt stronger.” As Torres faces a much younger fighter in Michael McDonald (14-1-0), he has done his homework and is ready to fight. “I know he is a counter fighter and I know he’s slick on the ground,” said Torres. “I know he’s young and hasn’t been pushed to a really high pace yet, so I’ve got some good things in store for him.” With all the success from the WEC fighters into the UFC, Torres wants to continue to prove that he belongs in that crowd. “I want to show the world what I’ve been working on,” said Torres. “I’ve got a new team, a new style and I finally found a balance between the two styles.”
Miguel Angel Torres will face Michael McDonald at UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans on Saturday, April 21st at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA at 7pm PT, 10pm ET.
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