Miguel Torres (39-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is no longer with the UFC.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed with UFC officials that Torres has been released from the promotion following an inappropriate Twitter post.
White first revealed the move to SI.com.
"Miguel Torres has been cut from the UFC, and his career with us now is over," White told SI.com.
"If a windowless van was called a surprise van, more people wouldn't mind going for rides in them," Torres stated. "Everyone likes surprises."
"There's going be times when things happen and mistakes are made," White told SI.com. "I cannot defend Miguel Torres. I cannot defend what he said. What he said makes no sense other than when he says, 'It was a joke.' Well, I don’t think that’s a funny joke. I think it’s disturbing."
Torres today told HeavyMMA's Matt Erickson the quote was a reference to a line to an FX sitcom, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Episode No. 2 of the series fourth season took place largely in a van with tinted windows that the characters repeatedly called a "rape van."
The move comes one day after UFC light heavyweight headliner Rashad Evans on Wednesday also made an off-color comment in reference to the recent Penn State sexual abuse scandal. However, White declined to punish Evans for his poor judgment.
"[Evans] said something stupid," White on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com. "It's probably one of the dumbest things you can say.
"He gets it, and he knows it was a stupid thing to say. We'll see what happens."
Forrest Griffin recently found himself in similar hot water after Tweeting, "Rape is the new missionary." Griffin eventually removed the comments after drawing the ire of many of his followers, and he explained to White the comment was meant as more of a social commentary on the prevalence of rape cases in current media coverage. Griffin was not released by the promotion.
Torres fought most recently at November's UFC 139 event, where he earned a unanimous-decision won over Nick Pace. He's probably best known for his stint as WEC bantamweight champion, when he notched three defenses of the belt before surrendering the title to Brian Bowles.
UFC brass have yet to make an official announcement regarding the roster move.
Earlier this year, Zuffa officials rolled out the new bonus program to all UFC and Strikeforce fighters. UFC president Dana White long has been a supporter of the social-media movement and currently boasts nearly 1.7 million Twitter followers.
UFC middleweight champ Anderson Silva, former interim heavyweight champ Antonio Rodrgio Nogueira and middleweight contender Demian Maia each recently pocketed $10,000 for winning bonuses in two different categories, while Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos and UFC welterweight contender Paulo Thiago each scored $5,000 for earning a win in a single category.
Source: Miguel Torres released from UFC following 'rape van' Twitter post
