Ultimate Fight Night 19: Maynard v. Huerta Likely…

June 25, 2009, at 2:33 pm

Roger Huerta and Gray Maynard are being eyed for a lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 19 on Sept. 16 at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Sherdog.com has learned from a source familiar with the plans. UFC Fight Night 19 will serves as a lead-in for season 10 of “The Ultimate Fighter” on Spike TV.

Huerta (20-2-1, 1 NC) turned down a new five-fight contract with the UFC in January to pursue a career in acting. The popular bilingual fighter — who was the first mixed martial artist to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated — has been missing in action ever since. Huerta won five bouts in 2007, but fought only once in 2008 — a unanimous decision loss to No. 1 contender Kenny Florian at UFC 87 last August. Huerta turned down two UFC fights in 2008, citing family and scheduling issues.

If signed, the September bout would complete the last fight on Huerta’s contract with the UFC. A three-month non-compete renegotiation period is then expected, then a matching period in which the fighter can court offers from outside promotions that the UFC can counter.

I added the part about him acting just to prove that Roger Huerta is out of his mind. Once considered a top prospect, Huerta has proved that he is one of the more overrated fighters in the UFC. He loves to stand and bang, which makes for exciting fights, but was outclassed by Florian and beat down by an emerging Clay Guida before sinking in a choke in the 3rd. It’s hard to call a guy who is 20-2 overrated, but I am.

On the other hand, Maynard is really an intriguing prospect. Known for his stint on The Ultimate Fighter season that Nate Diaz won, Maynard has amassed an impressive 5-0 record since including a couple of nice wins over Jim Miller and Rich Clementi. I love the bulldogish wrestling skills that he uses and with a win over a guy like Huerta, we could be talking about him in the lightweight title picture.

If this matchup works out right for the UFC, Graynard will beat Huerta. The Spaniard will disappear and Maynard will emerge as a contender.