Is Miguel Torres Overlooked in the MMA P4P Rankings?

(Photo by Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)

In my last article, I made the P4P case for Lyoto Machida. Today, I evaluate the credentials of the dominant bantamweight, Miguel Torres

How can a guy who manages to play soccer for two nations, write and act, be president of the Bodegas Torres, and be a champion MMA fighter not be ranked at the top of the P4P?

Well actually, apparently those are five different Miguel Torreses, including two Miguel Angel Torreses and one Miguel A Torres, middle name unknown.

Seriously though, this guy at least deserves to be included in the discussion considering his unprecedented 37-1 record, that Miguel Torres claims should be 49-1, not to mention his impressive soccer statistics and wine-making prowess.

But enough jokes...it's not like his name is Thiago Silva, which has got to be like the Brazilian equivalent of Mike Johnson.

Lets look at Miguel's argument for being with the top of the P4P pack. Again, I'll be using three main factors, those being results, skill set, and "beatability."

The Record

Miguel Torres official record stands at 37-1, which is pretty much the most dominant record I've ever seen in MMA, if I'm going strictly by the numbers. The record includes his most recent wins over Chase Beebe, Manny Tapia, Yoshiro Maeda, and Takeya Mizugaki.

All of these fighters are considered to be elite within the division, yet subsequent losses by Beebe, Tapia, and Maeda, may devalue those wins to a small degree.

As for the rest of the record, it is difficult to weigh the value of the other 33+ wins over relatively unknown opponents. The common thought in the MMA world is that any win is a tough win, as we see many fighters who leave the UFC experience trouble getting wins in so-called "lesser organizations."

However, I tend to disagree with that to some degree. Even the relatively one-dimensional Sean Sherk was able to compile a 29-2-1 record over mostly inferior competition before running into GSP, then BJ Penn, and now Frank Edgar.

But that doesn't really illustrate my point, as Sherk is still a very good fighter.  But consider this:

Miguel Torres's record already stood at 29-1 before his fighting career ever left the state of Indiana. Not that there is anything wrong with fighting in Indiana, but it does beg questions about the level of competition he faced.

Furthermore, 28 of his wins are by either submission or decision, with others coming via ground and pound TKO. Now this might not be remarkable to the casual fan, but I'll explain why this is significant: In lower level competition the grappling skill differences can be drastic.  Furthermore, while strikers always have a "puncher's chance," even small differences in grappling skill can often predict the outcome of a fight at lower levels.

Meanwhile, Miguel's most recent fights have been close and exciting, in contrast to recent dominating performances by the likes of Machida and GSP.

It is my opinion that while Miguel's level of competition is perhaps not as high as that of the other P4P champions, the 37-1 record still merits consideration and an investigation into his skill set.

Skill Set

Miguel Torres possesses some of the best striking skills within the bantamweight division, as he is able to land clean and effective shots, while blocking or avoiding those of his opponents. At 5'9", Miguel's height and reach present significant problems for his opponents. Yet Torres is often able to land effective knees and shorter strikes within the clinch as well.

As previously mentioned, Torres is very adept at using the clinch.  In this way, his wrestling is effective. But while his overall wrestling is above the average level within the division, it is by far his weakest attribute, as others have been able to take him to the ground with relative frequency. However, in Miguel's defence, there is a reason for this.

Torres possesses perhaps the most dangerous and versatile jiu-jitsu game in the bantamweight division. Any fighter who takes Torres down instantly finds himself on the defensive, as they attempt to avoid sweeps and submissions.

So fighters may be able to out-wrestle Torres, but in doing so all they do is choose which method of destruction they prefer: submission/ground and pound, or death by a thousand jabs.

So if he can out-strike most of the strikers, and out-grapple the guys who can take him down, the question remains: Who can beat Miguel Torres?

Beatability

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?