Jose “Shorty” Torres looking for respect with next promotion
After going 1-1 in his short UFC career, flyweight Jose “Shorty” Torres knows exactly what he’s looking for in the next promotion he signs with. The trade of former flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson from the UFC to ONE FC unfortunately was the beginning of the end for the flyweight division, and Torres was one of the first to be released from his UFC contract.
In an interview with “On The Mic” Torres opened up about being released from the UFC and what exactly he’s looking for in his next promotion. A former two-weight champion at Titan FC, Torres road to the UFC wasn’t easy and came with plenty of hassle where he felt the only opportunities he had with the promotion is doing them favors by taking his two fights on short notice. As he reflects back on his time with the UFC, Torres said the only benefit to his career was that he fought in the UFC.
“Honestly, it wasn’t at all anything what I expected, the only benefit was that I was a UFC fighter. That’s pretty much it. It’s crazy how that now after the UFC I’m starting to see I wasn’t completely respected. I had two fights in two months. I lost 54 pounds in two months. I wasn’t given a full training camp and was never given more than a month to prepare. Things were forced with those two fights and I ended up taking my first professional loss, it was a huge learning experience for me.
Many fighters would tend to believe in their young and early career that if they make it to the UFC that they’ve achieved a big part of their dreams in their fighting career, but Torres said he felt more used than accomplished.
It definitely felt like a bad relationship. It’s just one of those things that no matter what I did, I wasn’t given a fair share. It’s business and sadly, they don’t want us in the business.
As he prepares to move on from the UFC, Torres, who has said he’s confident he can fight the best of the flyweight division, said his next deal will depend on who respects him.
For me, it’s not the fact of who I’m signing with, it’s what promotion is going to respect me. I’d love to fight Demetrius Johnson in any promotion, he’s one of the best flyweight fighters ever, if not the best. For me, it’s a matter of respect. It doesn’t matter what promotion I sign for, I’ve already been in talks with ONE FC, Brave, KSW, Pancrase, and a few more, and that was the day I got released. I’m not just trying to fight, I’m trying to commentate and do more things on camera so I can show I’m not just a fighter, I can talk as well.
Torres did add that he has not met or spoke with Bellator in the United States but he has met with Bellator’s European branch but more about commentating than fighting. Speaking of his fighting career, with experience in both the flyweight and bantamweight divisions, Torres says he’s down to fight at either weight class to show that what he did at Titan FC wasn’t a fluke.
Now the wait is on for Torres and his next move but he said he would like to fight in March 2019 and he doesn’t matter what weight class he debuts in. Looking to prove that he’s better than his UFC stint and looking to prove that what he did in Titan FC wasn’t a fluke, Jose “Shorty” Torres will take his calculated time in deciding where he’ll fight next, and when he does sign, it’ll be because his next promotion respects him.
