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Jose “Shorty” Torres settling in new life as BRAVE CF world champion, looking forward to first defense
Oct 05, 2023
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BRAVE CF Bantamweight king Jose “Shorty” Torres has one of the most incredible stories within the BRAVE CF stables, and his journey is a testament to what it means to be a champion in the BRAVE CF cage and life. Two months ago, the man secured his first-ever global mixed martial arts title after grinding out a split-decision win over South Africa’s Nkosi Ndebele at BRAVE CF 73.
It was a heartfelt moment for “Shorty” who showed the world that with hope, hard work, and belief, anything is possible. In 2018, Torres signed with BRAVE Combat Federation, stepping into the fastest-growing MMA brand with lots of promise. A former two-weight Titan FC champion in the United States with various combat sports accolades and achievements, Torres was a major drawcard, and BRAVE Nation fans were excited by the promotion’s latest acquisition. With eight wins and only one loss on his name, Torres was ready to make a splash and did just that in his BRAVE CF debut when he beat Amir Albazi via unanimous decision in their Flyweight fight at BRAVE CF 23.
The notorious Torres had proven that the hype was real and that he was the new dog in the division. With a proven track record, the man was offered an immediate shot at the BRAVE CF 125-pound belt. But things soon took a turn for the worse. In 2019, just days before his BRAVE CF Flyweight title fight against Marcel Adur, Torres learned of his father’s passing. The news rattled him to the core and had further burdened Torres, who had already been grappling with mental health issues. The American was about to enter a season of hardship, compounded by Covid-19, further delaying his title aspirations.
In late 2020, Torres mustered up the courage to return to the BRAVE CF cage for the first time since his father’s passing. It was not the return he had been looking for after fighting to a tie with compatriot Sean Santella at BRAVE CF 42. While the result was undesirable, signs of weight-cutting issues had begun to creep in, too, as he battled to get down to 125 pounds. Torres then gave his body and mind a break and moved up a weight class, where he squared off with Blaine O’Driscoll at BRAVE CF 49.
There, he once again showed flashes of his brilliant takedown defense and boxing before securing another unanimous decision victory. But Torres was still hungry to grab the BRAVE CF Flyweight title and continued his quest after entering the first-ever BRAVE CF Bantamweight Flyweight tournament. It was, however, in the semi-finals of that prestigious competition where his time as a Flyweight had ended. Just days before his knockout bout with Ali Bagautinov, Torres was forced to withdraw due to his inability to make 125 pounds. Torres was again taken to another dark place in his life as yet another title opportunity was lost to the man who had worked hard all his career.
After much introspection, “Shorty” returned to the BRAVE CF cage one year later, rejuvenated and healthy as his team had decided that a permanent move up to Bantamweight would be the best way forward. His first assignment back was a BRAVE CF 65 co-main event bout against the electric Izzedine Al-Derbani, whom Torres manhandled and outsmarted over three rounds in the Kingdom of Bahrain - a feat considering that the “Palestinian Samurai” had entered BRAVE CF riding a five-fight win streak.
Torres was back in the title talks again, with his eye on the 135-pound belt, but this time, there was one man standing in his way. Ndebele - also riding a five-fight win streak - had been barking for a title shot for the longest time, and he finally had his opportunity granted when he lined up to face Torres in Bogota, Colombia. It was a battle of the American veteran against the upcoming African star who had cut his teeth in BRAVE Combat Federation.
Torres did well to face adversity in the early rounds. After a barrage of strikes from Ndebele, the American eventually found his rhythm and did well to work his angles and close the distance before implementing his high-level wrestling, takedowns, and clinch work, which fell in favor with the judges to see him secure the victory. After that fight, Torres revealed how close he came to losing out on another title shot after cutting himself in training. But the man chose to heal and lose out on training time to ensure that another title fight did not slip away.
Following their match-up, things have since heated up between the two Bantamweights after Ndebele called Torres a fake champ. With their title fight ending in so much controversy, the two are likely to compete in a rematch to settle this debate, once and for all.
