Roger Huerta set to return at Bellator 255 against Chris Gonzales
“El Matador” Roger Huerta is back.
According to the official Bellator website, mixed martial arts veteran Roger Huerta has been booked to fight Chris Gonzales in a 160-pound catchweight bout at Bellator 255 on April 2. The event will take place at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut, and will serve as the promotion’s first event to be broadcasted on Showtime.
At one point, the now 37-year-old Huerta, who won 19 of his first 21 professional bouts, was thought to be a future star in the sport, and in 2007, he became the first mixed martial artist ever to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Over the years, however, his career has been up and down, to say the least.
Huerta, who signed with Bellator in 2018, hasn’t competed in over two years and hasn’t won a fight since 2017. In fact, he’s lost nine of his last 12 fights and is coming off three-straight losses to Benson Henderson, Patricky Freire, and Sidney Outlaw.
Gonzales, meanwhile, is a decorated wrestler and has established himself as an up-and-coming name for Bellator. A member of the Greco-Roman world team in 2016 and a six-time Greco Roman All-American, The Team Alpha Male product is currently 5-0 as a professional and has won all four of his fights inside the Bellator cage. Most recently, he scored a split-decision victory over Vladimir Tokov at Bellator 244 last August.
Bellator 255 is set to be headlined by a featherweight title rematch between champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and Emmanuel Sanchez. The main card will also feature a lightweight bout between Usman Nurmagomedov and Mike Hamel, a welterweight contest between Neiman Gracia and Jason Jackson, a flyweight battle between Alejandra Lara and Kana Watanabe, and a heavyweight clash between Matt Mitrione and Tyrell Fortune.
