Manuel Torres kept his finish streak alive in his octagon debut by putting Frank Camacho down in the first round at UFC Vegas 54.
The Contender Series veteran gunned for the knockout from the very first exchange, but it was a devastating left-right combination that staggered Camacho and sent him down to the canvas. Once Camacho was hurt badly, referee Herb Dean stopped the fight to ensure he didn’t absorb any unnecessary damage, with the end coming at 3:27 in the opening round.
“Very happy to be a part of the UFC,” Torres said. “Very happy to win this fight. I want to be here forever. He hit me a couple of times but I didn’t get hurt at all. I wanted that hook for the bonus as well.”
The shots came early and often from both fighters, with Torres connecting with the first big punch in the fight after he clocked Camacho with a stiff left hook. The strike rattled Camacho momentarily, but as soon as he got his legs back under him, he came firing back with the intention of taking off Torres’ head.
Torres did a good job mixing up his combinations as he came down the middle with several shots in succession followed by huge looping punches behind them. With Camacho willing to engage, Torres kept teeing off on him with great accuracy, including a perfectly timed uppercut that landed clean.
That punch left Camacho wobbled again, and just seconds later Torres saw an opening for a nasty left-right that connected on the chin, sending the 32-year-old veteran crumbling to the canvas. The referee saw enough at that point to save Camacho from himself and alllow Torres to celebrate his first UFC win while earning his fourth straight finish in a row.
Now 13-2 in his career, Torres looks to be an exciting addition to the UFC roster, especially if he continues to put on these kinds of performances moving forward.
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