Bellator 196 — which is all set to go down on April 6, 2018 inside Budapest Sports Arena in Budapest, Hungary -- was set to feature a headlining bout between James Gallagher and Adam Borics. But after James suffered a hand injury, the promotion had to look elsewhere to find a suitable headliner on under a month’s notice.
And find one they did, as Ben Henderson has been pegged to fill the void against none other than Roger Huerta, who was announced on The MMA Hour as the recent singing for Scott Coker and Co.
“I’m excited, it’s crazy. I’m excited for this fight against Ben, I respect him a lot and he has had an amazing career. I am excited to get back into the Mix,” said Roger. “I’ve had ups and down on this road with MMA. Everything for me now, I know that I am better than I have shown than what I have displayed and I have put in a lot of time, 15 years in this sport. I want to show that I am better than what I have show, especially these last couple of years.”
Huerta previously went 1-2 inside the Bellator MMA cage in his first run with the promotion from 2008 to 2010. After competing for One Championship for the last five years, “El Matador” has returned to Bellator for a very intriguing late-replacement fight. Huerta has gone two-for-two in his last couple of outings, and looks to collect his first three-fight win streak since 2007 against one of his stiffest tests to date.
As for Benson, he is currently on a two-fight losing streak after dropping split decision defeats against Patricky Freire and Michael Chandler.
The bout will pit two former UFC Lightweight stars who enjoyed great success inside the Octagon. For Benson, it’s a chance to break his funk and get back on the winning track, while Huerta looks to add to his momentum by taking out a former world champion.
Bellator 196 will air via tape delay on The Paramount Network on Friday April 6.
Get the latest gear
