UTICA, N.Y. – Between his two Titan FC belts and a 7-0 pro record, not to mention an extensive amateur run, Jose Torres’ MMA stat sheet shows one basic fact: He’s kind of good at winning.

Torres (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is looking to keep the streak going on Friday, when he meets Jarred Brooks (13-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) in the opening bout of UFC Fight Night 131 at Adirondack Bank Center in Utica, N.Y. But, at the example of a fellow fighter who also brought in gold and an unbeaten record into his own UFC debut, the part in which he gets his arm raised is not Torres’ sole focus.

“I’m a Justin Gaethje type of fighter,” Torres said ahead of the UFC Fight Pass-streamed flyweight fight. “As long as the fans are happy, I’m more than happy. And it’s one of those things, if they want to see me again, I’m technically doing my job as an entertainer perfectly.

“So I want to go in there, put on a show, challenge my skills against some of the best. And, again, it didn’t matter if it was Jarred Brooks for a last-minute call, Tim Elliott, Ryan Benoit, Sergio Pets or the top guy (champion Demetrious Johnson) I’m ready to just face whomever and just have a good time doing it.”

The “last-minute” part wasn’t literal, but it was close. News that Torres was set to replace an injured Hector Sandoval broke on May 22 – meaning about 10 days’ notice for the Titan FC two-division champ. That didn’t stop Torres from making the flyweight limit this morning – a feat made more impressive by the fact he’d been preparing to make the move up to 145 pounds to try for a third belt.

That also didn’t stop Torres from doing his homework on Brooks – who comes off a split-decision loss to Deiveson Figueiredo, after a split-decision win over Eric Shelton to kick off his UFC run. In a breakdown for UFC.com, Torres defined Brooks as a “great wrestler, but not a great MMA fighter.”

Torres also added that, uninterested in a wrestling match, he expected his own style to bring out the best Brooks yet. Allow “Shorty” – who, for once, gets to be the taller man – to elaborate on that.

“I’m a pressure counter-fighter – I’m a boxer-judo guy, but I have some muay Thai in between, I like to push forward no matter where the fight is going,” Torres said. “I’ve been dropped, broken hands, torn MCL on fights. I still push forward no matter what. Punch him with the broken hand, kick him with the torn MCL leg, doing so much, taking so many shots, cuts, bruises, stitches, all that stuff. Anything. And I just keep on moving forward.

“Jarred is the type of guy, I know he’s fast, I know he’s strong. And he has his wrestling, but I can tell he has fast hands. I can tell he has some stand-up game in him. He just needs someone to push it out of him and I think I can do that. Once I’m able to stuff his takedowns and he has no choice but to stand with me, I think it’s going to be an exciting fight.”

As for Brooks’ in -your-face style outside the cage? Well, let’s just say Torres isn’t fazed – or particularly impressed.

“It’s amusing, because I’m so lackadaisical that I know it bothers him,” Torres said. “It’s kind of contradictory for himself, where he’s talking all this smack, waiting for the rebuttal, and nothing happens and then he’s like, ‘Oh, well, ah …’ I have no disrespect against Jarred Brooks, but I think his comebacks are kind of like a teenager trying to talk back to you. It’s like, ‘I’m going to do this in the fight’ and he’s like, ‘Your mother this, your mother that …’

“And it’s like, what does this have to do with the fight? For me, I pay no attention to it. It could be a Conor McGregor type of fighting style or talk, it could be a Colby Covington or Jarred Brooks. For me, I’m just going into the fight no matter what – we’re going to fight, and I think no matter what it’s going to be the same result.”

Torres’ prediction of the result on Friday, specifically, is a second-round TKO win – and we recommend you watch the video above to hear his own detailed explanation of why. But, regardless, the 25-year-old already had one win in finally being able to come to an agreement with the UFC for his octagon debut.

For Torres, of course, being in one of the world’s leading MMA promotions is quite an opportunity. But it’s an opportunity he’s hoping doesn’t end with him. Having been involved with some type of training since he was 4, Torres credits his accomplishments, from wrestling titles to his college degree, to fighting. And he’s taken it upon himself to help others get the same chances.

For starters, Torres dedicates 20 percent of the profit he makes selling merchandise to helping the kids at his gym get chances that not having money caused him to miss in own career. With a platform like the UFC, Torres is hoping to maximize these efforts.

“For me, I know I can do it,” Torres said. “Skill-wise, I know I’m a great fighter. I’ve done so many things and only 7-0. McGregor was 14-2 at Cage Warriors and he won two belts. I was 5-0 and defended one in the process. I’m doing things in record time and I’m not planning on stopping any time soon. I was planning on going for a third belt, but this last-minute fight came in and I couldn’t say no.

“For me, it’s one of those things that I’m just trying to do as much as possibly in my possibly decently long career, we’ll se where it goes from here, but the UFC can be a huge pedestal to help a lot of people in my neighbourhood and around the world as well.”

To hear more from Torres, check out the video above.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 131, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.