Former UFC stand out, and Bellator veteran, Roger Huerta has now parted ways with One Championship. Huerta has re-emerged from the sidelines after what looks like a bit of soul searching. And the longtime MMA veteran has been surveying the MMA landscape and assessing what opportunities lie in store. His hunger for fights was never in question, so don’t call it a comeback, he never left.
‘I wanted to try a different promotion’ Huerta says, ‘Get a different look a different feel.’ Speaking to WHOA TV ahead of the next time he slips on the 4oz gloves. His next fight is scheduled for December 22 in Dubai, on Phoenix Fighting Championship 4, at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Having fought in Dubai before, he’ll likely be pretty well seasoned to getting acclimatized to the oppressive heat and dry weather.
In December Huerta will face Hayder Hassan a seasoned vet of TUF series (having competed on the show twice). The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians saw him saw him pick up a loss to Kamaru Usman, and more recently Hassan returned to compete again on The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption. Hassan presents a decent test, something that Huerta is all too keen to acknowledge.
‘I like Dubai. I was just there a couple of months ago visiting and training at TK MMA Fitness run by Tam Khan. So got to see a bit of it. I think my opponent is heavy handed and tough.’
Known for his ability to stay away from the traditional mixed martial arts gyms Huerta had previously settled on Phuket Top Team and Tiger Muay Thai. For his return fight, his camp appears to be a return to his old approach of selecting the coaches who will stretch him in the lead up to his fight. ‘I’ve been doing my own thing really.’ Huerta says ‘I have checked out some gyms but never stayed past a couple of days. So I haven’t been training with anyone specifically, but getting different feels and looks from different people’s fighting style I have rolled with or have sparred with.’