Miguel Torres will once again put his 135-pound title on the line when he takes on Manny Tapia at WEC 37 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Wednesday, December 3.
Torres is in the midst of a breakout year despite years of dominating his competition in smaller shows throughout the nation. In fact, he has what some would consider a cult-like following from those who watched him shine in and around the Chicago area before signing with the Zuffa-owned promotion.
Fans likely now know the reason for all the underground buzz after "Angel" scored a thrilling third round technical knockout win over Yoshiro Maeda earlier this year in one of the best fights of 2008 to date.
Torres -- a Carlson Gracie protégé with sick Muay Thai skills -- submitted Chase Beebe prior to defeating Maeda to capture the WEC bantamweight title.
Tapia is a former King of the Cage star who has kept his perfect record intact since joining the WEC with two exciting wins over Brandon Foxworth and Antonio Banuelos. "The Mangler" often tends to live up to his nickname, preferring to stand and bang it out rather than take his fights to the ground.
He has not seen any action since February because of a knee injury that has kept him on the sidelines.
Tapia is an extremely game opponent; however, he will need to bring an all-around game if he intends to knockoff a guy like Torres who is widely regarded as among the top pound-for-pound fighters in the sport today.
WEC 37 will air on the VERSUS network, beginning at 9 p.m. ET on fight night. Stay dialed in to MMAmania.com for the latest updates and rumors leading up to the event.