By Tony Reid

It's tough to define Tecia Torres as a fighter, but that’s the way she prefers it.

Competing at the highest level of mixed martial arts is an all-encompassing profession that requires daunting physical and mental commitments. And when a fighter reaches elite status like Torres has, it can easily eclipse everything else that isn’t MMA-related.

But not for Torres—she leverages that focus to chase down other goals. The 26-year-old Floridian already carries a double major in criminology and sociology, but now Torres is pursuing her master’s degree in criminal justice.

“January was my first semester in graduate school.” Torres said. “It’s pretty hard. Time management is the biggest thing. Monday through Wednesday are my crazy days. I am in the gym twice a day regardless, but Monday through Wednesday are the days I have school at night. Those days are jam-packed. The other days I’m studying in between practices and writing essays.”

A balancing act between education and career is undoubtedly tough, but grit is something Torres has in large supply. Torres has put her tenacity on display time and time again as she’s risen through the ranks of the 115-pound division.



That grit helped her rebound from a tough stint on Season 20 of "The Ultimate Fighter" and win three out of her four showings inside the Octagon.

“I have tasted defeat in the past.” Torres said. “I didn’t do so well on 'The Ultimate Fighter.' I lost a few times in kickboxing. You learn from those losses. You get back up. You get on your horse and you get back in the gym and work. With all that said, I always want to win.”

Although she stumbled twice on TUF 20, the official blemish came at the end of a hard-fought tilt against Rose Namajunas at UFC on Fox 19 back in April. The two former housemates scrapped it out for 15 minutes with Namajunas taking the unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards.

And while the loss column on her record will have a notch in it going forward, Torres isn’t one to focus on the negatives.

“There is always pressure, whether you are undefeated or not, to win.” Torres said. “You have a lot of people that are behind you. In the cage it’s just me fighting, obviously, but I have my corner there and many people have put in countless hours with me it the gym and my family and friends have sacrificed a lot, too.

“It’s a team effort, and you don’t want to let them down. The pressure is always there, but I take everything with a grain of salt. I’m here to have fun. Nobody is invincible.”

The bout against Namajunas was undoubtedly the most high-profile fight of her career, but that didn’t stop Torres from hitting her other required deadlines. Torres is driven to succeed in every endeavor she undertakes, and is hoping to provide inspiration for others struggling to create a better life for themselves.

“I had two essays to write the week of this past fight,” Torres said. “I was working on the second one when I went to cut weight. I weighed in and finished the paper because it was due that night. I seem busy, but there are men and women out there going to night school, graduate school, juggling multiple jobs with kids. I’m doing it and showing other people it can be done.”