World’s top amateur making debut at Titan FC 37
Jose Torries, the top amateur in the world at 135 and is making his pro debut at Titan FC 37 live on UFC Fight Pass Friday night.
The rise of amateur MMA is massive, and little noticed. There are now more amateur fights in MMA than there are pro.
Jose ‘Shorty’ Torres started MMA when he was 18, having grown around drug deals and gang bangers. Now some 26 fights worldwide later, he is turning pro at 23. Under the tutelage of Master Bob Schirmer at Cicero, IL’s Combat Do, Torres rose to become the top-ranked amateur fighter in the world. And now he is making his debut Friday night at Titan FC 37 live on UFC Fight Pass, vs. Travis Taylor, who is also debuting in the pros.
This is how it is supposed to happen, before you get elbowed in the face.
Torres has been good enough to be a pro for a long time. But he chose college and a wrestling scholarship to Division II McKendree University over getting paid to fight. He graduated in May with a degree in leadership and sports and exercise science with a 3.8 grade-point average.
“I think I’m good [at MMA], but hey, look at dos Anjos, he just missed out on a big fight just breaking his foot,” said Torres. “Things happen. I was like, you know what, let me finish school, get my degree just in case I’m not good enough.”
He believes he made the right call to stay in school. Torres won’t have to worry about trying to make a name on the regional circuit. He said he signed a four-fight deal with Titan, one of the longest contracts the promotion puts together.
He’s been to places like Brazil and the Czech Republic for amateur tournaments. Currently, he’s a member of the KHK team in Bahrain, which is run by the country’s sheik. While working out overseas, he ran into Titan COO Lex McMahon, who was able to woo him over to the promotion that airs on UFC Fight Pass.
“I’ve been having a great time just traveling the world and doing my thing,” Torres said. … “I just enjoy the challenge and I enjoy motivating people. Getting out of my neighborhood and doing bigger things motivates other people to do that, so I’m very, very happy. I’m hoping to just have my life set. I live my life like a Bohemian. I save all my money, I eat whatever is free and just keep on going.”
It’s been a different road for a different kind of guy. Torres has stayed on it without drifting and now stands to reap the rewards.
“Everything,” Torres said, “has been unfolding pretty well for me.”
