SOULDIER MMA: February 2013

Hi Everyone! this JT "Spiderman" Torres. International BJJ sensation!
First of all Congrats on the Big Win last weekend in Montreal!
Its a pleasure to have you on Souldier MMA.

SOULDIER MMA: How did you get involved in BJJ?

JT TORRES: I got involved In BJJ when I was 15 years old. I was a freshman in High school and I got cut during tryouts for the school basketball team, so afterwards I was left with nothing to do. My father always pushed me to stay active and in Shape so I decided to check out this BJJ program inside of this Karate school that I had previously attended when I was younger. After my first Class I was Hooked!

SOULDIER MMA: What's your favourite submission? and do they change with each tourney? whats the craziest sub you've attempted or landed?

JT TORRES: My Favorite submission is for sure the Bow and Arrow Choke. My style of BJJ I would say is pretty simple so I do not go for crazy stuff often but I would say the craziest sub I have ever landed was a flying triangle.

SOULDIER MMA: What role does creativity play in your game?

JT TORRES: Creativity plays a huge role in my game because my training partners and opponents are always looking to learn and study my game so I have to make sure I always continue to expand and grow my game to stay ahead of the curve.

SOULDIER MMA: You're a Team Lloyd Irvin fighter. How has being part of a renowned ufc team/ school helped you advance in your game?

JT TORRES:Being part of Team Lloyd Irvin has helped my game advance big time because of the quality of training that I have forces me to become better. Also Master Lloyd Irvin is also a great Coach, he really puts time into helping you grow your game and taking it to the next level.

SOULDIER MMA: What does being a fighter mean to you?

JT TORRES: Being a fighter means to me that you live a life of dedication and honor.

SOULDIER MMA: What holes do you see in your opponents game? do you watch a lot of game tape before fights?

JT TORRES: At the Back Belt level I really do not see to many holes in my opponents games because everyone is at such a high level but that is why I watch alot of footage to try to find them.

SOULDIER MMA: What separates you from every other fighter in your division?

SOULDIER MMA: If you could have one dream fight who would it be with? or have you already had it?

JT TORRES: I honestly do not have a dream fight, I just want to fight who ever is standing in the way of my gold medal.

SOULDIER MMA: Do you have any special diet/workout regiments? if so what are they?

JT TORRES: I wouldn't say it is a special diet or workout regime that I have because it is my lifestyle so how I eat and train is the same 365 days a year. I am always eating clean, drilling, lifting and rolling!

SOULDIER MMA: Diego Sanchez was known for his extreme yoga/ meditation routines. What role does spirituality or meditation play in your fight preparations?

JT TORRES: I love to meditate before all tournaments because helps me get focused, calm and ready to strike. Meditation really helps you get into that "Zone".

SOULDIER MMA: Latino fighters are once again on the forefront of the UFC with Cain Velasquez regaining his Heavyweight title and fighters like Nick Diaz & Anthony Pettis challenging for belts this spring & summer. How does it feel achieving such a high level of success in BJJ at such a young age & being of Puerto Rican background in a sport normally dominated by Brazilians? is there a friendly rivalry or not at all.

JT TORRES: It feels great!! I love representing my latino people and my American people in this sport. I just want to show that you do not have to be brazilian to be one of the best in the world! I deff think there is a rivalry and thats why all my matches are hard fought!

SOULDIER MMA: With UFC fighters like Demian Maia having achieved such a high level in BJJ, does it make it easier for you to think about transitioning over? if so when can we expect your UFC debut?

JT TORRES: I for sure think having a high level BJJ game would make it easier for some to transition over to MMA and now that guys like Demian have showed how to do it, alot more BJJ guys will be making the switch to MMA. Right now I am just focused on BJJ but yes there is a strong chance people will be seeing my BJJ inside the cage.

SOULDIER MMA:What does a typical training week look like for you? What time do you get up in the morning?

JT TORRES: My typical week of training is filled with Strength and Conditioning three times a week. at least one session of drilling everyday and two sessions of hard BJJ sparring a day. So you can find me training 3-4 times a day. I usually wake up at 10AM everyday and on Saturdays I wake up 5 30 AM.

SOULDIER MMA: If we were to shuffle through your ipod what music and tracks can the fans expect to find that pump you up on fight day?

JT TORRES: Some music you can except to find is a lot of Hip Hop like Lil Wayne, Young Buck, Slim thug and 50 Cent.

SOULDIER MMA: I saw a couple of awesome clips of you on youtube. One was with you defeating Dustin Hazelett a few years back when he was considered the top BJJ guy in the UFC. Was that your breakthrough moment in the sport? if not what was?

JT TORRES:I think defeating Dustin that day was for sure one of my break outs at Black Belt because he was such a force at the time in the UFC. At the time he was tapping out everyone! So it was an honor to fight him and be able to defeat him.

SOULDIER MMA: I saw a few other clips of you training with Marcelo Garcia considered by many the top BJJ guy in the world. How often do you train with him or study his books or dvd's?

JT TORRES:My family lives in NY and Marcelo has his academy in NY so I would usually go stay with my family over the summer and during that time I would I try to drop by his academy as often as I could. I study his game quite often because I am always looking to make my X Guard stronger.

SOULDIER MMA: Finally, what do you want to be remembered for at the end of your career?

JT TORRES:I want to be remembered as one of few Americans to ever win a Black Belt World title.

SOULDIER MMA: Thank You for taking time off of your busy schedule to answer some questions for the fans around the world! It was my honour having your here! Much success at Abu Dhabi. Oussss!

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie > Helio Gracie > Rickson Gracie > Jorge Pereira > Leo Dalla > Lloyd Irvin > Jonathan Torres
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