Titan FC 43 results: Jose Torres finishes Pedro Nobre with punches in first to retain flyweight title

Saturday’s Titan FC 23 came to a rather abrupt end, courtesy of flyweight champion Jose Torres and his frightening right hand.

Torres (4-0) took no notice of Pedro Nobre’s (18-3) pro experience, needing only 1:26 to finish the challenger and defend the promotion’s 125-pound belt for the first time. The event took place at Watsco Center in Coral Gables, Fla., and was streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Nobre’s chin fell victim of not one, but two brutal right hands before the fight was called to a stop. After returning from what could have easily been a fight-finishing straight, Nobre was punished with knees and punches to the body before Torres managed the perfectly placed uppercut that finally spelled the beginning of the end.

The champ still landed a few more blows – including a hard short left that had Nobre once again seemingly out of it – to his downed opponent before the referee intervened. Despite the onslaught, a puzzled-looking Nobre didn’t appear too happy with the stoppage.

After the scrap, Torres talked about the valuable opportunity to train with ex-UFC bantamweight champ T.J. Dillashaw and about his “well worth it” extensive amateur experience, going on to ask the crowd whether they felt he deserved a shot with the UFC.

Titan FC COO Lex McMahon, at least, seems to be on board with the idea, and even told UFC president Dana White to check his text messages.

“I’d love to be in the UFC, guys,” Torres said. “I hope I get a call soon.”

In kick-heavy match, Quinones rallies for decision win

After a somewhat evenly matched three-round striking contest, Michel Quinones’ (8-1) late efforts paid off. Showing off a vast array of creative kicks, the Titan FC newcomer had both the composure and the gas tank to eventually give a game Caio Rocha (6-1) his first professional defeat.

The initial seconds of the featherweight scrap painted an accurate portrait of what was to come: kicks, lots of them – of the high, low, spinning and flying variety. The action was evenly matched, with few blows left unanswered. Quinones was the author of the round’s most meaningful moment, dropping Rocha with a body shot after a stuffed takedown attempt.

Quinones was the early agressor in round two, but Rocha wasn’t that far behind. Much like in the first round, brief seconds of studying were punctuated by fast-paced, kick-heavy exchanges. Quinones’ left leg started showing the effects of the low kicks left behind by Rocha’s two-punch, kick combos. Although Rocha’s late-round takedown attempt ended up being successful this time, it was short-lived – with Quinones’ promptly getting back on his feet and throwing a few high kicks to end the round.

The two came out swinging on the third. Quinones still had enough energy to throw spinning kicks and even land a superman punch, while Rocha kept on with the low kicks that seemed to have caused damage in the earlier round. While Rocha never stopped countering, it became clear that Quinones was the more active man, continually pushing the pace as the scrap came to a close.

Valdir Araujo capitalizes on mistake to sink in fight-ending guillotine

After submitting three opponents in a row, it was Preston Parsons’ (5-2) turn to end up on the unfortunate end of a choke. While focused on a single leg, Parsons made his neck available to a slick Valdir Araujo (17-7), who managed to sink in a guillotine that had his opponent tapping seconds after the fighters reached the ground.

The welterweight scrap started out on a somewhat slow note, with few sparse kicks by Araujo that ultimately didn’t do any damage. The first big moment stemmed from a missed head kick by Araujo, who quickly regained his composure to secure a single leg from there. Parsons eventually managed to break free from Araujo’s side control, and even had his opponent working from the half-guard at one point, but as the bell rang, Araujo had control of Parsons’ neck following another successful takedown.

The two came out more aggressive in the second, exchanging head kicks early on – with a cool-looking spinning backfist by Araujo in the mix. Araujo was the first to get the takedown, but Parsons remained active on the ground, managing to grab an arm and slip out from the half-guard. The two then exchanged some ultimately ineffective blows on the feet before Araujo took the fight to the ground once more, landing punches and elbows from the top as Parsons desperately held on to his leg.

Although he managed to use that leg to get Araujo back up and press him against the cage, Parsons – who by then had a visibly swollen shin – miscalculated his single leg efforts, leaving the neck exposed as he launched the takedown. Araujo quickly wrapped his legs around Parsons and had all but sunk the guillotine as they landed on the mat.

Titan FC 43 results include:

• Jose Torres def. Pedro Nobre via TKO (punches), Round 1 – 1:26
• Michel Quinones def. Caio Rocha via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Valdir Araujo def. Preston Parsons via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:26
• Matt Frevola def. Raush Manfio via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Anderson Hutchinson def. Bruce Lutchmedial via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:11
• Will Starks def. Jose Cortes via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:55
• Gustavo Eddy Balart def. Carlos Hernandez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

For additional coverage of Titan FC 43, check out the MMA Events section of the site.