UFC Fight Night 19: Roger Huerta in talks to return against Gray Maynard on Sept. 16

by Jesse Holland on Jun 25, 2009 3:30 PM EDT Comment 58 comments

Roger Huerta is reportedly in talks with Zuffa about a possible return to the UFC against Gray Maynard at Fight Night 19, which will serve as the lead-in for the upcoming tenth season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 10 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Sept. 16, according to Sherdog.com.

After an impressive 16-0 run, "El Matador" (20-2-1) dropped a unanimous decision to Kenny Florian at UFC 87: "Seek and Destroy" back in August 2008. The former lightweight title contender declined a five-fight contract extension with Zuffa to pursue a career in acting and modeling.

Huerta still has one fight remaining on his UFC contract and would not be able to consider a career in combat outside of the Octagon until that fight is satisfied -- and a three month no compete period is satisfied. While Huerta has made no mention of immediate plans to fight outside of the UFC, he did go on record as saying he would honor his commitment to the remaining fight.

If an agreement with Maynard can be reached, he would certainly go out with a bang.

"The Bully" (7-0) has strung together five straight wins inside the Octagon since his participation on season five of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5. He most recently outmuscled Jim Miller on all three judges scorecards at UFC 96: "Jackson vs. Jardine" back in March, relying on his strong wrestling background to frustrate the AMA disciple for the full 15 minutes.

It was his third big win over a name challenger in the division — he defeated the previously unbeaten Frank Edgar via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 13 in April 2007. He may once again have his hands full against the very experienced Huerta.

The promotion last visited "The Sooner State" way back in December of 1994 with UFC 4 from the Expo Square Pavilion in Tulsa. Royce Gracie cruised to victory that night in "Revenge of the Warriors."

Mixed martial arts has come a long way in 15 years.

The Cox Convention Center has a capacity of 15,000 and will join Colorado, Nebraska, Florida and Tennessee as recent additions for the "Fight Night" series.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more updates on this developing fight card as they are announced.

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I think Huerta would beat him. Too bad he doesn’t wan’t to fight much anymore. He had mad potental.

by Yourmomma on Jun 25, 2009 4:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I’d take Maynard… the sky is the limit for that kid!

by ---Caesar--- on Jun 25, 2009 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well put Caesar, I REALLY like the upside for Maynard with his great wrestling background and working out under Randy at XTreme Couture.

by WB on Jun 25, 2009 5:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i just like to see huerta fight he might not be the best but he puts on a show

by sleeper on Jun 25, 2009 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dana is setting him up just like he put ortiz against machida. Maynard runs over him. Don’t let Huerta’s long feast on cans during his run make you think he can hold up against the bully.

by NameNotRequired on Jun 25, 2009 6:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yea, horrible idea once again.. why would you wanna hurt your marketable fighters career? it makes no sense, well it does if they think they’d sign him for less money to another contract..
Maynard will never be a marketable fighter he’s just too GREY he’s an even more effective Guida and extra boring!

by RoB on Jun 25, 2009 6:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is a good fight. The only chance Huerta has is a potential KO. But that’s unlikely.

And NameNotRequired brings up a good point. Huerta’s record looks impressive but he hasn’t fought many big names. His record is still respectable but his biggest win is Clay Guida.

It’s a good matchup and probably more even than we would think but I’m rooting for Maynard.

by Kobajack on Jun 25, 2009 9:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, and he was behind in the Guida fight, as we know.

by Kobajack on Jun 25, 2009 9:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Huerta was the only guy in the UFC to finish Guida…

by Syn on Jun 26, 2009 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep Huerta is going to get owned with his loopy slow hooks
he may have heart but no good stand up.

by Lestat on Jun 25, 2009 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thats right Ceasar!! I think Gray would beat the bark off of Huerta.

by belfort_fan on Jun 25, 2009 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Huerta is a pretty boy and isn’t ready to be a real UFC fighter.

by Lawrence Leary on Jun 26, 2009 1:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Huerta is a pretty boy and isn’t ready to be a real UFC fighter. Maynard would beat him down.

by Lawrence Leary on Jun 26, 2009 1:53 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Huerta wasn’t doing very well against Guida until he got caught in the choke. I see Maynard edging this out is he doesn’t get sloppy and caught.

by halljam2 on Jun 25, 2009 4:20 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I think Dana wants to send Roger off to Hollywood with a loss. He did the same thing to Tito for his last fight. I don’t see any way Huerta takes this. The year off isn’t going to do him any good, and if he doesn’t even want to fight after this than the year off may take a great toll on his strength and conditioning. Gray has the better wrestling and I think he has the better boxing. I might take some heat for this one, but if you watch the Jim Miller fight the first thing that jumps out is Gray’s hands. He looked great. And with more time to train at extreme Couture with Shawn Tompkins there’s no telling what he can do. There’s no question where Gray’s heart is, it’s in becomming a world champion. I can’t say the same about Huerta and that makes all the difference.

by DB on Jun 25, 2009 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Agree 100%.

by Jonny on Jun 25, 2009 5:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

You’re probably right but Ortiz put up a pretty good showing against the last 3 LHW champs and there are still question marks in my mind over wether it was the right move by Dana. Tito is the Eminem of the UFC, it feels kinda empty without him.

by paniczoo on Jun 25, 2009 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think he’s got the most potential out of anyone at 155

by Jye on Jun 25, 2009 7:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Very Nice matchup. I look forward to this one being booked.

Two most likely outcomes: Gray by sleeping decision OR Huerta finishes him.

I’d actually like to see Huerta back in the UFC, his fights were always exciting. But that may be because he was a B level fighter matched against D level opponents for his first 5 or so fights in the UFC.

I wonder how hard Huerta has been training since “modeling”?

by ViolentMike on Jun 25, 2009 4:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

any fight with maynard in it is not “a nice match up” it would kill me to say huerta get laid on for 15 minutes like he did to clementi, heres to hoping maynard gets knocked the f out

by brendan on Jun 25, 2009 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

rewatch the Jim Miller fight and you won’t call Gray a Lay N’ Pray wrestler anymore.

by DB on Jun 25, 2009 6:45 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

the jim miller fight was extremely boring… stand ‘n’ pray!

by RoB on Jun 25, 2009 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Gray gets a bad rap. Take the Clementi fight out of the picture and the guy has had a bunch of good fights. His first fight was that crazy no contest with Emmerson that was pretty fun to watch. The next was a nine second KO over a can. I didn’t see the Siver fight, but who did. Then he beats Frankie Edgar in the fight of the night on that card. And his last fight was a boxing clinic on Jim Miller, who everyone thought was dangerous and Gray ran through him. Gray had one boring fight (in my opinion) and everyone immediatley classifies him as boring. The guy isn’t a Deigo Sanchez, where every fight is fire works, but he is a good fighter.

by DB on Jun 25, 2009 6:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

his fight against edgar was far from entertaining, unless entertaining to you is watching the grass grow

by brendan on Jun 25, 2009 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

As much as I like Huerta and his fighting style- I see Maynard winning this all the way. Huerta was just out wrestled so badly by Clay, actually by anyone who wanted to take him down. Unless something drastic has happened and dramatically improves his td defense. Huerta better go back to Jackson’s and train with Evans and GSP and get that on track.

by DSmith on Jun 25, 2009 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Huerta will suffer from ‘ring rust’ so that alone should seal the deal from Gray. I’m actaully a fan of Gray since the TUF show, and never thought of him as extremely boring. Like DB said, the Clementi fight was a dud, but I’ve enjoyed all his other fights.

Gray takes the win here.

by Syn on Jun 26, 2009 11:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t consider Guida to be is a “D” level fighter.

by Nate on Jun 25, 2009 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, and I wouldn’t consider his SIXTH UFC opponent to be one of his first 5 fights, DOUCHE.

Little “smarties” like you are the reason I put “5 or so fights” because I wasn’t going to take the time to google Huerta. But you know what, I was right, and you are wrong.

by ViolentMike on Jun 25, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

DAMN Mike; that was brutal, switch to decaff. ;)

Can’t say I don’t hate on “little smarties” too tho every now and again..

by O damn he got caught on Jun 25, 2009 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

lmao

by the still operator on Jun 25, 2009 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i dont care who wins. i just like watching huerta fight. his fight with garcia was awesome.

by chris on Jun 25, 2009 4:21 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe top 10 of all time in my book

by Cut the Blue Wire on Jun 25, 2009 4:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What no movie offers.

by Mike on Jun 25, 2009 4:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Get caught? This is MMA you find a way to win. Witch he did.

by Yourmomma on Jun 25, 2009 4:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Smart matchmaking by Dana and co.

If Huerta wins, it keeps another wet blanket off the road to a title shot. Nobody wants to see Maynard in a #1 contender match, let alone a title fight.

If Maynard wins, Huerta leaves the UFC on a loss, making him a less valuable prospect for other promotions if he decides to drop the movie aspirations and get back to fighting.

This better not be the main event for that card. Surely they can do better than that.

by Jeremyjackson on Jun 25, 2009 4:22 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

That’s what I am wondering JJ. This is a borderline main event for a fight night card. Please give us something a little better. Not to discredit these guys and what they do.

by James S on Jun 25, 2009 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No way it would be a main event. Might not make the tv. On a side note, Rumor is Junie makes his return on that card as well.

by Cut the Blue Wire on Jun 25, 2009 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, it’ll definitely make the televised card for a Spike event. Huerta is a pretty big draw. You’re right though, they’ll put together a bigger fight than this for the main event.

by Jeremyjackson on Jun 25, 2009 4:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wandi was asking for a fight in September and then another in December, I would be surprised if Dana doesn’t hook him up. I can hear the crowd already: “Silva! Silva! Silva!”; And as a fan, I have to say the sooner Wanderlei fights again the better!

WAR WANDERLEI!

by O damn he got caught on Jun 25, 2009 5:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Haha, that would be awesome… but there’s no way Dana let’s us watch Wanderlei for free.

by Jeremyjackson on Jun 25, 2009 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

roger might be rusty with a year off,
has to be main event for fight night or put it on ufc 103 main card

by bryant on Jun 25, 2009 4:50 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

gray takes this fight and it wont be that difficult i think. his wrestling is better than huertas and his boxing is really improved, especially his head movement. Hopefully gray is just working on his bjj game and a bit more on kicks. Hopefully he’s been improving to a very well rounded fighter. I think this kid has the ability to be a champion in the future.

by bobby o'shea on Jun 25, 2009 4:53 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I hope he comes back and fight more than just one fight. he is an excitin fighter.
war el matador!

by TRIKZ on Jun 25, 2009 4:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

You guys are way harsh on Gray. Millers face looked like hamburger meat after Gray was done with him.

by WB on Jun 25, 2009 5:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yo Holland, Maynard defeated Edgar in April 2008, not April 2007.

by Clint on Jun 25, 2009 5:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

his only loss is to florini, i would put my money on huerta in this one, grey is always getting better but he isn’t on huertas leval yet, ring rust might be a factor but he is the more talented fighter, if clay couldn’t lay n pray em grey can’t.

by Blazy J on Jun 25, 2009 5:33 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i predict bullying and lay’n prey, maynard has alot of potential, i mean alot his strikings gotten better and his wrestling is great, i wanna see him in his prime and at his best thats gonna b scarey, anyone agree??

by guyverbob on Jun 25, 2009 5:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

For sure, he’s got the physical tools and the potential to be an awesome fighter, I think he just needs to loosen up in there; fine tune his game and take some risks.

I really don’t knock him for the Clementi fight they were both getting into some high level grappling techniques and they just nullified eachother on the ground. I remember during that fight the ref was telling them to work or he was gonna stand them up and Rogan’s commentary was “THEY ARE FIGHTING!!” I agreed with Joe on that one; Clementi was doing well enough to avoid dmg and stop Gray from improving his position and Gray wasn’t letting Clementi sweep him or really work any escapes; the effort was there, it just didn’t make for an exciting fight.

by O damn he got caught on Jun 25, 2009 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i will always be a fan of huerta after he’s put on so many awesome fights; leonard garcia, guida, and ton of nobodys. i think the loss to florian really messed him up mentally. i hope he can get back into it and put on some more amazing fights.

by COR on Jun 25, 2009 5:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

besides his last fight the bully is lay an pray.. when he strikes hes only a boxer. i hope he keep that up because roger has a chin of steel and better stand up..not to mention hes been in many wars…the bully has never been in a war because he to busy holding people down. I remember on TUF he was like i like getting punched in the face blah blah yea right til herb dean is waking you up

by RedSweat83 on Jun 25, 2009 6:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

This seems to be a blatant attempt to send off Huerta with a defeat, seeing how he wants to be a model and an actor instead of a fighter. I was a big Huerta fan but have been put off by him demanding silly money and ditching the sport altogether, whilst his fights are always exciting I’m less of a fan of his personality.

I don’t dislike Gray but I’ve never been a fan, saying that he should be too strong for Huerta and I see another decision win for Gray. He has the better cardio and wrestling and a dominant win over Huerta would probabaly earn him a title shot, as he’s a big name and Roger isn’t exactly in Dana’s good books these days.

by David W-S on Jun 25, 2009 7:55 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Gray Maynard isn’t even a big name in his own house. No way in hell Dana throws a PPV down the crapper to give this wet blanket a shot. He’ll be matched up with upper-echelon lightweights ’till he loses, which he will. This guy gets nowhere near the strap until he learns how to win without non-stop hugging… so never.

by Jeremyjackson on Jun 25, 2009 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

where is PW when you need him..he coined “lay and gray”..think that works for him..

by sarah on Jun 25, 2009 10:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think Roger’s personality is what’s so good about him.. He’s just a great guy that’s had a rough life, he took a wellearned break from fighting and went on to try to earn some real money without having to fight!
the reason we’re not seeing more guys do this is because they do not have the looks or the personality of a guy like Huerta..

by RoB on Jun 26, 2009 2:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

it is funny how people were all on rogers nuts and sayin there fans and all of a sudden now people seem to dislike him fan or not you stand behind your fighter no matter what all roger hater or people who acted like they were fans can suck my friends d**K

BY THE WAY ROGER IS TAKING IT!

by elmatador24 on Jun 26, 2009 12:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

im a huge roger fan im happy hes back fighting but you i know im just dissapointed that he decided to take modeling over fighting i mean me as a guy who who trains mma and one day dreams to be a fighter i would not throw it all away for modeling and acktihgn i mean the dudes got so much talent and hes letting it all go to waste to model it jus herts cuase there plenty of talented fighters out there that whould love to have had his spot

by the champion on Jun 26, 2009 4:25 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

It looks like you’ve been hit in the head one too many times already. Quit fighting and do something else. Just don’t become an English Teacher or anything that has to do with spelling.