Ex-UFC fighter Roger Huerta emerges for PFL fight booking after years-long hiatus

Roger Huerta isn’t done yet.

It’s been more than three years since he’s had a fight on the books, but Huerta (24-13-1) is back and will face fellow UFC alum Robert Whiteford (16-5) at 2024 PFL Europe 3, the promotion announced Wednesday. The event takes place Sept. 28 in Glasgow, Scotland.

The fight is contracted for a weight of 150 pounds and will serve as the co-main event. A welterweight fight between former UFC fighter Stevie Ray (25-13) and Lewis Long (19-7) is slated to headline.

Huerta, 41, hasn’t competed since a Bellator loss to Chris Gonzalez in April 2021. Following the defeat, promotion officials informed MMA Junkie that Huerta had been released from Bellator. The defeat was his fourth in a row and 12th in his 16 most recent fights.

Over a decade before his Bellator stint began, Huerta gained notoriety during his eight-fight tenure with the UFC. All six of his UFC victories came consecutively at the start of his promotional stint. The final victory was a Fight of the Year performance vs. Clay Guida.

In May 2007, Huerta became the first MMA fighter to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Whiteford, also 41, hasn’t competed since May 2022 when he was finished in 72 seconds by Daniel Weichel. Prior to that, Whiteford fought to a no contest with Andrew Fisher after an errant eye poke ended that fight. Those two results came after a four-fight winning streak.

The current 2024 PFL Europe 3 lineup includes:

Story originally appeared on MMA Junkie