Rising UFC lightweight star Roger Huerta (18-1-1) today informed UFCmania.com that he will face Alberto Crane (8-0) at UFC 74 on August 25 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
"El Matador" will look to keep his perfect record (4-0) inside the Octagon intact against the UFC newcomer — Huerta's third such opponent in as many fights. He survived an early first round scare against UFC debutant Doug Evans at The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 Finale to defeat the Alaskan via technical knockout in the second round.
Huerta also went to war with Leonard Garcia in his Octagon debut at UFC 69, pulling out a hard-fought unanimous decision win. Of course, there is also his 19-second victory over UFC rookie John Halverson at UFC 67.
Without a doubt, Huerta, who recently graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, is one of the busiest fighters thus far this year — UFC 74 will be his fourth fight of 2007. He is also one of the most marketable for the promotion, with the UFC looking to the Mexican-American product to carry them into the Latin market in the very near future.
His latest opponent, Crane, is an undefeated fighter based out of New Mexico who has submitted seven of his eight opponents. He is a veteran of "King of the Cage" and "Professional No Rules Fighting" promotions.
With a quick glance at his opponents and their records, Crane will no doubt be up against his biggest test to date against Huerta. Despite being a UFC newcomer, however, this bout could be a good one—look no further than Huerta's last two fights.
In recent months, the UFC has done a solid job of bringing in talented fighters from smaller promotions. Perhaps Crane fits under that description.
We'll find out on August 25.
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