5 Things You Might Not Know About Tecia Torres

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Currently on a three-fight losing skid, American Top Team’s Tecia Torres needs a victory to stay in the strawweight top 10. She’s currently ranked No. 8, but a loss could send her drifting down further. For her next opponent, she faces the undefeated Marina Rodriguez. Their fight goes down on Aug. 10 at the Antel Arena in Montevideo, Uruguay, at UFC Fight Night 156. Here are five things you might not know about the woman they call “Tiny Tornado.”

1. She started training at age 5.

Torres was only five years old when her mother brought her and her sister to a martial arts gym. The siblings started training karate, but between the two, it was only Tecia who continued training and she did so until she was 17. Torres then took a year off to give way to college only to return a year later, and this time, she tried kickboxing. After a handful of amateur fights, she decided to try jiu-jitsu and eventually transitioned into mixed martial arts.

2. She fought high-level opponents early in her career.

Unlike other greenhorns who were paired with mediocre or fellow inexperienced fighters when they were starting out, Torres got her taste of high-level competition early on in her professional career. In fact, she had opponents who, like her, would become big stars in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. After debuting against Kaiyana Rain, “Tiny Tornado” shared the cage with Page VanZant and former UFC strawweight champion Rose Namajunas, as well as Felice Herrig and Angela Magana, both of whom were a lot more experienced that her at the time. Torres defeated all of them.

3. She finished her master’s degree while fighting in the UFC.

Education is something Torres has always given much importance. So much so, that she decided to pursue her master’s degree in criminology while fighting in the UFC. Torres first graduated college at Florida Atlantic University in 2010 with double majors in criminal justice and sociology. At 20 years old, she was the youngest in her batch, as recognized by their university president. A few years later, “Tiny Tornado” finally earned her master’s degree.

4. She had childhood dreams of working in the FBI.

Martial arts weren’t the only thing that kept Torres busy as a child. Sh ealso spent time dreaming of being part of the FBI, DEA, or anything else along the lines. Finishing her graduate course is definitely a big step towards achieving that dream. But for now, there’s probably no bigger dream than to capture the UFC strawweight strap, and she’s doing everything in her power to make it happen.

5. She’s straightedge.

Torres lives a straightedge lifestyle, and as such, she claims that she’s never had drugs or alcohol in her life. That means she’s also PED-free and will remain that way until the day she retires from MMA competition. A true inspiration, “Tiny Tornado” is an advocate of healthy living and has always taken a strong stand against prohibited drugs.