Jose “Shorty” Torres knew what he had to do. He needed a big win. After his 86-second finish of Pedro Nobre at Titan FC 43, he had done everything he thought the UFC wanted him to do. Somehow, though, it wasn’t enough.
He exceeded his own expectations, and probably those of the UFC as well, but the phone call hasn’t come.
Torres, one of the biggest up-and-coming stars in MMA and the Titan FC flyweight champion, is now undefeated through the first four fights of his professional career. It was a widely held belief that his title defense against Nobre would be the last stop before a jump to the UFC.
Following his title defense, Torres returned home to Chicago and spoke with ChicagoLandSportsRadio.com host and Combat Press writer Mike Pendleton. He revealed the conversation he had with the UFC following his win. It was a conversation that didn’t go as many, Torres included, expected it to go.
“So there was good, bad and good news,” Torres told Combat Press. “I talked to the UFC. They said that I did everything they wanted — they wanted me to take the Pedro Nobre fight — but then they said they didn’t want me. They said the problem was they wanted to see me struggle. I did too well.”
In his conversation with the UFC, Torres made it known that he took the fight because he knew it was the fight they wanted and he believed that it would be his toughest challenge to date. Torres not only surprised the UFC, but he surprised himself as well with the quick finish. He had the opportunity he had worked for all his life, but because he exceeded expectations, he must continue to grind.
Now, Torres must challenge himself. He declared that he wants a second belt.
“Nothing is officially announced, but what I’d like to do is challenge for the 135-pound title and become Titan FC’s first-ever two-weight-class champion,” Torres said.
The next move for Torres, if given the opportunity, would be to fight Titan FC’s reigning bantamweight champion, Farkhad Sharipov.
“This is an official call-out of Sharipov,” said Torres. “I challenge him for the title. I’m the only one who has two straight wins at the 135[-pound] weight class in Titan FC, and technically I’m deserving of the title shot.”
Torres not only fights above expectations, but he handles career situations in much more mature fashion than those in his position looking for the UFC call. Understanding that there’s more work to be done, Torres realizes the lack of benefit due to inexperience if he was to get called up to the UFC at this time.
“Because of my amateur resume, because of my experience so far, they said they want me to fight top-10 guys,” said Torres. “Again, the flyweight division isn’t popular. The division needs excitement.
“I believe I can bring excitement. They know I can bring excitement. Right now, there’s no benefit for those guys. They want to see me struggle now, so when I get to that point I won’t struggle. Or if I do, I know how to get out of it. I’m following the Conor McGregor scheme, if you think about it. When he was at Cage Warriors and won the 145-pound belt, they didn’t want him, so he moved up to 155 and got it done.”
Following in the footsteps of the UFC’s most popular star is not a bad option, but this is Shorty’s own path. He’s out to prove to everyone in the fight game that not only does he belong in the UFC, but he will perform to the best of his abilities when he’s there. He carries the city of Chicago on his shoulders in every fight and every step ofhis career. With Kanye West as his entrance music and the city of Chicago in his own personal logo, Shorty wants it to be known: If this Shorty can make it out of Chicago, so can every other Shorty out there.
And this Shorty won’t be stopped on his way to the UFC, either.