This past Saturday night in the co-main event of UFC Mexico, we saw a very intriguing matchup in the lightweight division between two exciting contenders. Mexico’s Manuel Torres (16-3) was looking for a bounce back win as he took on Drew Dober (27-15) who was looking to snap his two-fight losing streak.
Both men entered the octagon really needing a win. As mentioned, Dober had last two in a row and at 36-years-old, he cannot afford lengthy losing streaks and stay relevant inside the octagon. Meanwhile, Torres needing to regain the momentum he had prior to losing his first fight inside the octagon to Ignacio Bahamondes.
I expected someone to get finished in this one and that’s what happened at UFC Mexico. Just over 90 seconds into the first round, Torres sat Dober down with a perfect 1-2 down the middle. Dober went for a single leg and Torres just blasted him with shots to the side of the head until the referee stopped it giving him the huge TKO win in under two minutes.
What’s next after UFC Mexico?
Manuel Torres needed to make a statement to regain momentum after his TKO loss to Bahamondes and that’s exactly what he did on Saturday night. After winning a contract on The Contender Series back in 2021, Torres is now 4-1 inside the octagon with four first round finishes.
He’s a very exciting prospect for the lightweight division and it was great to see him get back on track. With this win, who should the UFC look to book Torres against next? I think he needs to take a step towards the rankings, but he’s not going to get a ranked opponent next.
One guy to look at is another guy who is vying for a spot in the rankings in Fares Ziam. Ziam is 7-2 inside the octagon and he’s currently won five in a row. That could be a matchup to watch for Torres. Mauricio Ruffy could be another option if you’re looking for someone coming off a win.
If you want a tough veteran to challenge Torres, the UFC could look at someone like a Diego Ferreira who is coming off that loss to Grant Dawson. Any of those three opponents would make for great fights that could get Torres closer to a ranking at 155.