Bellator Fighting Championships lightweight champion
Eddie Alvarez will collide with UFC veteran
Roger Huerta in a non-title super fight at Bellator 33 on Oct. 21. The promotion on Thursday announced the matchup.
Alvarez was originally scheduled to meet 2010 Bellator lightweight tournament winner
Pat Curran in a five-round title bout, but an injury to the challenger forced the change. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney indicated Curran would fight for the belt once he recovered, perhaps in early 2011.
A Philadelphia native, Alvarez has delivered 18 of his 20 victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. The 26-year-old, who has tasted defeat only once as a lightweight, will carry a five-fight winning streak into the match. Alvarez last appeared at Bellator 17 in May, when he choked
Josh Neer unconscious with a second-round rear-naked choke. A finalist in the 2008 Dream lightweight grand prix, he counts victories against reigning Deep lightweight champion
Katsunori Kikuno, former Dream lightweight titleholder
Joachim Hansen and UFC veterans
Aaron Riley and
Derrick Noble among his 20 career conquests.
Huerta, a loser in three of his past four fights, has not competed since he dropped a unanimous decision to Curran at Bellator 17 three months ago. The 27-year-old was involved in a well-publicized street fight in Austin, Texas, on July 31, when he appeared to come to the aid of a woman outside a nightclub. Finished only once -- by former International Fight League lightweight champion
Ryan Schultz -- in 27 professional appearances, Huerta owns notable victories against UFC veterans
Clay Guida,
Matt Wiman,
Brad Blackburn and
Naoyuki Kotani, along with former Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion
Alberto Crane.
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