Manuel Torres achieved a significant victory at UFC Mexico, although the way the fight ended sparked debate.
No one questioned if Torres deserved to win by knockout in the first round against Drew Dober. Torres had clearly hurt Dober with a strong right hand and finished the fight with powerful hammer fists. However, some people criticized referee Mike Beltran`s timing of the stoppage.
Fellow UFC lightweight fighter Renato Moicano even commented on social media, making a reference to the movie Rocky 4 with the line, “If he dies, he dies,”.
During the post-fight press conference, Torres was asked about this controversy.
Torres explained through a translator that he noticed the referee wasn`t stopping the fight despite him inflicting significant damage. As a professional, he continued fighting. He also mentioned that he felt his opponent was already struggling before the fight was officially stopped.
While Torres admitted the fight could have been stopped sooner, he also suggested that referee Beltran might not have had a clear view of Dober`s condition. During the final moments, Torres was hitting Dober with hammer fists, and Dober`s face was partially hidden as he was holding onto Torres` leg.
Despite this, many felt Beltran had seen enough to stop the fight. Torres does not blame the referee for any potential mistake.
Torres stated that in certain positions, these situations can occur. He elaborated that because Drew Dober was looking down, it might have been difficult for the referee to see if Dober was still conscious or not. Torres believes that referees could improve in these specific situations, but acknowledged the referee was in a challenging position.
Torres emphasized that his only option was to keep fighting. After the stoppage, Dober stood up and faced Torres, appearing unaware that the fight was over.
Regardless, Torres has positioned himself for bigger opportunities with four wins and four performance bonuses in his first five UFC fights. He expressed his hope to compete at the upcoming UFC 320 event in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Torres mentioned that UFC announced a Mexican event on September 13th and he wants to be part of it. He feels he represents Mexico and would like to fight there again, ideally against a top 15 ranked opponent.
Wesley Dunham 
Marcus Blakely