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Coming into KSW 58, Daniel Torres has the belt on the mind. Taking on the very dangerous Salahdine Parnasse, Torres has set to get his crack at the belt. Torres is ranked second in the KSW rankings on MMA-Prospects.com and sits at 11-4 as a pro. Now with three wins in a row, Torres is ready to to realize his dream of becoming champion.
Torres says he rushed into his MMA career, being a karate competitor first. He started fighting and had no real grasp on mixed martial arts. His coach found him and took him under his wing, training him to become a proper mixed martial artist. Luis Barboza set him on the right path.
“My first fight was when I trained in just karate. It was not a good start in that sport. I had no experience and no ground game. I had no Jiu Jitsu or Luta Livre. I started alone and was looking for some money. I found one guy and he started teaching and said, ‘Look, one day you’re really going to hurt yourself if you don’t learn because the other guys know how to hurt someone.’ Then he started to teach me. For me it was the start of my career.”
From the beginning, Torres felt like Barboza understood him. While there were coaches that wanted nothing to do with Daniel Torres, Barboza saw the potential.
“Luis Barboza talked and was quiet for my questions. And also quiet in teaching me because I was one kid that was not really smart in fighting. But he understood me and what happened with me at the time when I was without a gym and coach in MMA. He started to show how to really fight. He was from when the fight was not MMA, it was Pride in Japan and some fights in gyms in Brazil. He saw that and said, ‘Look, MMA grows, you must learn the ground. You need to make your skills better and your cardio, better body. You need to prepare yourself to do that. You need to quiet your mind and relax.”
Outside of fighting, Torres has a few other things he enjoys doing. He says, “I like swimming, playing with my dog. I also run almost every day. It doesn’t matter if I have a fight or not. I have days of running, swimming, bike. What I love to do outside is table tennis.”
Daniel Torres vs. Salahdine Parnasse | KSW 58
Training for a fight is tough in itself. For Torres, he’s dedicated everything he can to the sport and says no matter where the fight goes, he’s prepared. The prize for him is the KSW Featherweight Championship.
“I’ve trained every day. I am prepared to fight standing up, on the ground, on the cage. I am really strong with good condition. I will win the title there.”
Parnasse is no slouch. Undefeated at 14-0-1, Parnasse has won all five fights he’s taken part in KSW. The Frenchman is one of the best in the world. Daniel Torres says his preparation is what separates him from his foe.
“I prepared myself to be a better boxer than him. I prepare myself to be a better grappler than him. I prepare my cardio to be better than his. I prepare myself to be better than what I was yesterday.”
That mindset instilled to him by Barboza, becoming a complete fighter, fuels Torres and has put him on the path he is today. Ahead of this fight, Torres has trained every aspect of fighting. No matter what, he is ready to go to war. His mind: calm. He’s ready.
“The fight I see it as an opportunity. I need to be prepared for my opportunity. I’ve prepared everything. I’ve prepared my kicks, punches, knees elbows. I’ve trained how to grip on the cage, how to grip on the ground. I prepare myself in my condition and my mind to be calm. I see my opponent in the fight and in my mind, he’s not there, it’s just me. I get so calm. This is how I prepare myself.”
You can catch KSW 58 on FITE.tv on January 30th. Follow Daniel Torres on Instagram to follow his MMA journey. Thanks for reading!
