Issue 061
April 2010
Former WEC champion Miguel Torres owns his own gym in East Chicago, Indiana, and that means he controls the playlist too. But the 135lb Torres also gets to pick what people listen to in the gyms he visits, such as when we met him at Robert Drysdale’s gym in Las Vegas.
What kind of iPod do you have?
I have an iPod Touch, Dana White gave it to me last year. He was kind enough to give me an iPod, even though I wanted a Porsche. Porsche, house... the iPod will do.
What kind of music do you like to listen to when you train?
I have a lot of different music; if you look on my iPod I have everything from the most hood gangsta rap to country music, Mexican music, salsa music... Right now I try not to listen to stuff with too many cuss words. If it’s in my gym or someone else’s, there are usually a lot of kids around. I’ll listen to something with a good beat to it. For me, fighting is like dancing, a form of self-expression like an art. I go out there and dance.
What do you listen to when you’re chilling?
Celine Dion, Willie Nelson – whatever makes me depressed. No, the same stuff I train to! I will play music out for about two years. I think I went through a Johnny Cash phase at the gym for about three years, and everybody got so used to it, when I switched it up everybody got really angry at me. I’ll play music out until I can’t hear it anymore.
Do you control the playlist when you train in your gym?
Of course, it goes without question!
What about, say, here, at [Robert] Drysdale’s gym?
They don’t really listen to music when they train, so I asked them if we could have music while we train, determined what a good level was, and now we listen to whatever we want.
Did you bring your own speakers or is that his system?
I brought that. If you notice the awesome stereo system that he has from 1925, I brought this from the house I’m staying at. He thinks it’s a gift, but I’m taking it back!
What about a walk-out song, do you have your own walk-out song?
I had one, but Paul Buentello had it at UFC 107. I have a thing on my Twitter to see who I’m going to walk out to.
THE SHUFFLE CHALLENGE
Hit shuffle on your iPod and name the first five songs that come up. No cheating!
1. Everything’s Gonna Be Alright by Bob Marley
Bob Marley is the man, and everything is gonna be alright, no matter what. That’s a warm-up song, that’s before I go whup someone’s ass song.
2. En El Minuto by Hector Lavoe
I like a lot of Hector Lavoe stuff because it’s got a good beat to it, and like I said I like to dance. But I can never go to the clubs because I’m always training.
3. Black Magic Woman by Carlos Santana
He’s a legend. This song is more of a warm-up song. When I warm up I’ll listen to something that’s got a slower beat to it to get me in the mood.
4. John Holt and King Tubby
Some reggae stuff, I went through a reggae phase too. This is for between warm-up and sparring, or after sparring, from cooldown to technique phase.
5. Cubana Salsa by Tito Puente
It’s a sparring song. Every time the song comes on, the guys know, my pace picks up real fast.
Miguel Torres spoke to Gary Alexander
