Brave CF star Jose “Shorty” Torres is potentially one fight away from fulfilling his dream of fighting for the organization's world title - and he is pulling out all the stops to make that happen. On April 23, USA’s Torres will throw down with South Africa’s Nkosi Ndebele in Ljubljana, Slovenia, at Brave CF 70 in a potential bantamweight number-one contender fight.
Following previous disappointments, the American is not risking anything and has called on the services of world-class 135-pounders Patchy Mix and Merab Dvalishvili – two of the best bantamweights in the world – to help him prepare.
The KHK Team Bahrain and Combat Do star has been in training camps with Mix and Dvalishvili at the world-renowned Xtreme Couture Mixed Martial Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he has been preparing for number-five-ranked Ndebele.
“I decided to finish my camp for Nkosi Ndebele here at Xtreme Couture MMA,” said Torres.
“There are a ton of bantamweights, featherweights, and flyweights here that are not just my size, but also high-level athletes. So I am that Brave CF contender mixing it up with the best, going back and forth with guys like Merab and Patchy.”
Torres is undefeated inside the Brave CF cage, with three wins and one draw. He twice came close to fighting for the Brave CF flyweight title, but unforeseen circumstances on both occasions him from reaching his dream. The first time, the unfortunate passing of his father put paid to those plans before the recent pandemic, and weight-cutting issues, halted his second attempt at claiming the 125-pound title.
“Shorty” has since moved up a division to bantamweight, where he has flourished and now he stands just one win away from a shot at the 135-pound title. While he may not control the externals, Torres aims to be fully ready for Ndebele as he refuses to miss another shot at the elusive Brave CF title.
“At Xtreme Couture, I am testing my skills against the best,” he said.
“We all know that iron sharpens iron, so we are all helping each other be the best in our respective promotions. I am sore and beat up, but that motivates me. Being able to mix it up with the best fighters, and people you look up to and want to learn from and compete against, it’s an honor.
“I have learned so much since being here. Four more weeks of this, I definitely can’t complain, and I know my opponent does not have that same honor,” added the former two-division Titan FC champion (at flyweight and bantamweight), who has a total of eleven professional victories.
Brave fans can also look forward to seeing a slew of European fighters inside the Brave CF cage as the promotion returns to Slovenia for the first time in three years since Brave CF 34 in January 2020. The main event will see one of Europe's biggest stars headline the card as Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Erko Jun faces Slovenia’s Marko Drmonjic in a light heavyweight bout. In keeping its promise of building Central European MMA, Brave CF will again work hand-in-hand with the leading regional organization WFC.
