Filipina breakout star Jomary “The Zamboanginian Fighter” Torres promises to come back better and stronger following his unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Mei “V.V” Yamaguchi of Japan.
Both outstanding ladies electrified the crowd at the Axiata Arena in their three-round women’s atomweight affair at ONE: DESTINY OF CHAMPIONS in Kuala, Lumpur, Malaysia last Friday, 7 December.
Torres exhibited her warrior spirit for the entire duration of the contest, constantly trading strikes with Yamaguchi and defending all of her advances on the mat.
Despite Torres’ valiant effort to keep it a competitive bout, Yamaguchi did more than enough to earn the win on all three judges’ scorecards.
Although she fell short in her bid to end 2018 with her hand raised in triumph, Torres finds comfort with the thought of going the distance against a battle-tested martial artist such as Yamaguchi.
"To share the stage with a world-class athlete like Yamaguchi is a great learning experience. I see this as something that would benefit my career in the future," she stated.
"This is definitely a great learning experience for me. I gave everything I have, but it didn't quite work out. I knew I was a big underdog, but I stepped up and went all-out against her.”
She concedes that her Japanese counterpart was simply the better athlete, suggesting that her cage meeting with Yamaguchi will be beneficial to her growth as a mixed martial artist.
"It's a huge help to have been able to compete against someone of Mei Yamaguchi's caliber. She's a former ONE World Title contender,” she said. "She was the better lady that night, but that's part of being an athlete. I will learn and improve.”
Her first three impressive bouts in the world's largest martial arts organization convinced observers that Torres is a special competitor in the women’s atomweight division of ONE Championship.
Despite the string of setbacks, Torres plans on living up to her potential, believing that better days are definitely ahead in her young career.
"I have a great career ahead of me. The loss will only make me a better competitor moving forward," she vowed.
