Torres Pegged to Meet Banuelos at UFC 126
Mike Whitman Nov 4, 2010
Another significant fight has been added to the Zuffa’s Super Bowl
weekend event, as former World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight
king Miguel
Torres (Pictured) will take on Antonio
Banuelos at UFC
126 on Feb. 5 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
It will mark the first UFC appearance by the former WEC
competitors.
The UFC announced last week that it would absorb its sister promotion, along with all WEC talent. Heavy.com was first to report the Torres-Banuelos matchup; Sherdog is awaiting confirmation of the bout from sources close to the negotiations.
Torres is the former 135-pound champion of the WEC. A dominant titleholder, the mullet-sporting Chicagoan went undefeated in his first five fights in the organization, including three successful title defenses. Two of those defenses earned Torres “Fight of the Night” honors. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt had racked up an impressive 37-1 record before falling to hard-punching wrestler Brian Bowles at WEC 42 in 2009. Torres failed to get back on track in his next fight, losing by guillotine choke to Team Alpha Male standout Joseph Benavidez at WEC 47, marking the first time the 29-year-old had dropped back-to-back fights in his decade-long career. After making a change in his training and heading north to Quebec’s Tristar Gym, Torres rebounded strong, finishing a game Charlie Valencia at WEC 51 and reinserting himself into the title conversation.
Banuelos is another experienced bantamweight, holding 18 career victories. Trained by John Hackleman, Banuelos recovered from an April loss to Scott Jorgensen by defeating Chad George at WEC 51. Known as a precision fighter, The Pit product owns more than half of his wins by decision. Prior to his WEC 51 defeat, Banuelos had won three straight fights in the WEC, including a split decision victory over rival Jorgensen at WEC 41. The Californian’s WEC career extends all the way back to WEC 5, long before Zuffa’s acquisition of the promotion.
UFC 126 will be headlined by an anticipated middleweight title clash between dominant champion Anderson Silva and a rejuvenated Vitor Belfort. The event will also feature two important light heavyweight matchups: Forest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin and Ryan Bader vs. Jon Jones.
The UFC announced last week that it would absorb its sister promotion, along with all WEC talent. Heavy.com was first to report the Torres-Banuelos matchup; Sherdog is awaiting confirmation of the bout from sources close to the negotiations.
Torres is the former 135-pound champion of the WEC. A dominant titleholder, the mullet-sporting Chicagoan went undefeated in his first five fights in the organization, including three successful title defenses. Two of those defenses earned Torres “Fight of the Night” honors. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt had racked up an impressive 37-1 record before falling to hard-punching wrestler Brian Bowles at WEC 42 in 2009. Torres failed to get back on track in his next fight, losing by guillotine choke to Team Alpha Male standout Joseph Benavidez at WEC 47, marking the first time the 29-year-old had dropped back-to-back fights in his decade-long career. After making a change in his training and heading north to Quebec’s Tristar Gym, Torres rebounded strong, finishing a game Charlie Valencia at WEC 51 and reinserting himself into the title conversation.
Banuelos is another experienced bantamweight, holding 18 career victories. Trained by John Hackleman, Banuelos recovered from an April loss to Scott Jorgensen by defeating Chad George at WEC 51. Known as a precision fighter, The Pit product owns more than half of his wins by decision. Prior to his WEC 51 defeat, Banuelos had won three straight fights in the WEC, including a split decision victory over rival Jorgensen at WEC 41. The Californian’s WEC career extends all the way back to WEC 5, long before Zuffa’s acquisition of the promotion.
UFC 126 will be headlined by an anticipated middleweight title clash between dominant champion Anderson Silva and a rejuvenated Vitor Belfort. The event will also feature two important light heavyweight matchups: Forest Griffin vs. Rich Franklin and Ryan Bader vs. Jon Jones.
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