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15/03/10 - Huerta signs for Bellator, has "no hard feelings" towards UFC
Bellator Fighting Championships has announced the signing of Roger ‘El Matador’ Huerta to a multi-fight deal. Huerta, 26, has amassed a 20-3-1 record in MMA and recently completed a three-and-a-half year run with the UFC.
He will make his debut for the organisation on April 8th in the first round of the Bellator Lightweight Tournament 2010, it was confirmed during today’s online press conference. The tournament will include Toby Imada, winner of the 2009 Submission of the Year trophy in the Fighters Only World MMA Awards.
“I talked to a lot of other organisations, Bellator was the one that stood out to me,” Huerta said during the press conference earlier, adding that there was no animosity between him and the UFC despite his decision not to re-sign with the organisation on the expiry of his previous contract.
“There are no hard feelings at all, I had a good relationship with them when I was going out the door. I feel blessed, I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for the UFC. More power to them,” he said. “[Now] I am here to be the fighter I can be. You guys are going to see the best of me, the fighter you always wanted to see.”
In the press release announcing today’s online video conference, Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney called Huerta “one of the most exciting and accomplished lightweights in the world.”
“Roger is truly a young man who has defied the odds to achieve greatness,” Rebney said. “Adding Roger to our 155 division and tournament is a great signing for Bellator that provides us the ability to showcase him on national television upwards of three times before summer (provided he wins). His personal story is inspirational. He has not had an easy road, but has fought hard and persevered. It’s hard not to root for a guy who has triumphed over adversity like he has.”
If Huerta can win the lightweight tournament, which runs from April to June, he gets the opportunity to face reigning Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in a title bout this fall. Interestingly, Rebney said there is a chance the fight could take place in Mexico, where Huerta has strong roots.
Rebney said a fight in Mexico is “absolutely possible” and revealed that the organisation is already making preliminary enquiries about. Eddie Alvarez is apparently a possible opponent for what he termed a “super fight”.
“The essence of the tournament format requires that we move every week [and] conceivably there could be a Roger super fight in Mexico, which is something we are looking at. But the focus right now has to be April, May, June. After that we can start looking towards a September fight maybe with Eddie Alvarez,” he said.
The chance of a shot at Alvarez excites Huerta but he is adamant that he has only one thing on his mind at present. “My one and only goal right now is getting through the lightweight tournament. I’m in the best shape of my life and I just can’t wait to get back in the cage. I see nothing but good things to come for me and for Bellator.”
Each tournament fight will be broadcast live in prime time on FOX Sports Net every Thursday night beginning April 8th and replayed in special highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo every Saturday night beginning April 10th and running through to the tournament’s conclusion in June.
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