World Series of Fighting Preview

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Bantamweights

Miguel Torres (40-5) vs. Marlon Moraes (8-4-1)

The Matchup: Once the owner of a 17-fight winning streak and the World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight strap, Torres was the unquestioned ruler of the 135-pound world from 2004 to early 2009. With four of his five career losses coming in his last seven bouts, Torres is no longer king of the hill. However, the Indiana native has lost to nothing but championship-caliber competition and remains a handful for most fighters in the division.

Regardless of Torres’ recent slide, this fight represents a huge opportunity for Moraes, who recently notched victories over Chris Manuel and Jarrod Card with the Florida-based Xtreme Fighting Championships promotion. A former Brazilian muay Thai champion, Moraes possesses a varied arsenal of strikes that include spinning kicks and punches to the liver. The Armory product starts quickly and will explode with rapid-fire flurries when he senses an opening. The Brazilian has a good understanding of how to use angles and when to change levels with his strikes, and he uses his jab particularly well to establish range. The 24-year-old, who recently dropped from 145 pounds, also has a solid submission game; he nearly tapped Deividas Taurosevicius with a rear-naked choke before succumbing to a reversal and an arm-triangle from his opponent at Ring of Combat 38 last year. Moraes will want to avoid spending too much time on the ground with Torres, who has one of the most active guards in the sport.

The rangy Torres likes to use his reach advantage to control distance on the feet. Moraes needs to be creative when finding ways to collapse the pocket; consistently landing chopping leg kicks will slow Torres’ movement and aid him in this endeavor.

There is no substitute for experience, and Torres has a career filled with battles against the likes of Joseph Benavidez, Demetrious Johnson, Brian Bowles, Michael McDonald, Antonio Banuelos and Takeya Mizugaki, to name a few. He will not lose composure as the bout reaches the deep waters of the later rounds, and Moraes will struggle to match his pace throughout.

The Pick: Moraes has a real chance of rocking Torres and getting the quick finish, but the 45-fight veteran will prove to be just a little too crafty here. He will find a way to get the fight where he wants it and submit Moraes in round two to set up a potential showdown with recent WSOF signee Tyson Nam.

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