At one time in his career, Roger Huerta was at the pinnacle of the sport. He was riding a 16-0, 1NC streak, hanging with the best in the UFC lightweight division and gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated. And then back-to-back losses changed everything. But Roger Huerta is back and he’s ready to prove not only to the critics out there but himself that he is better than he has shown in the past.
Huerta (24-9-1, 1NC) was a recent guest on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour and he is ready for his chance. That chance will come against one of the best in the lightweight division, Benson Henderson at Bellator 196.
“I know that I’m better than what I’ve shown, I know that I’m better than what I’ve displayed,” Huerta said on The MMA Hour. “I’ve put a lot of time into this. This is about 15 years that I’ve been doing this sport. I just want to showcase I’m better than what has been shown, especially these last couple of years.”
This will not be the 34-year-old’s first rodeo under the Bellator banner. In 2010, Huerta made his debut with the promotion and beat Chad Hinton with a very slick kneebar. He followed up with back-to-back losses against Pat Curran and Eddie Alvarez.
Fast forward eight years and Huerta has one of the biggest fights of his career on his hands.
He chose to sign a one-fight contract with the promotion, instead of agreeing to a multi-fight deal.
“El Matador” has spent his last few years in Asia and fighting for ONE Championship. However, he is now back in North America and a bit of a rogue. He told MMAFighting, “I’m just roaming around. The planet Earth is my home.”
Hopefully, with a successful performance against the former UFC lightweight champion Henderson, Huerta can find his footing and a true home for himself under the Bellator banner.
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