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While he’s eaten a lot more losses than wins over the last decade and walked away from MMA at one point, Roger Huerta says his love for the sport is as strong as ever entering Bellator 234.

While Roger Huerta’s Bellator return run — let alone his return to MMA — hasn’t gone his way thus far in two fights, he’ll look to finally score a win when he meets Sidney Outlaw in the Bellator 234 co-main event.

There was once a time when Huerta was considered the next best thing in MMA. In 2007, he became the first MMA fighter to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. It was also the year he really broke out as a competitor after going 14-1-1 before signing with the UFC in 2006 and winning his debut fight.

In 2007, Huerta competed five times inside the Octagon, coming out on top each time and tying the record for most UFC victories in a calendar year. This includes defeating Leonard Garcia in the UFC 67 Fight of the Night and submitting Clay Guida in the 2007 Fight of the Year.

Since his loss to Kenny Florian in 2008, however, things have not been the same for Huerta, as that fight marked a current 4-10 run stretch in competition. But Huerta says struggles to achieve victory and even briefly leaving the sport on a couple of occasions, haven’t taken any of his love from the sport.

“There’s never been a greater time to be in MMA,” Huerta told FanSided. “It’s my religion, to be quite honest with you. It’s what I’ve trained in. It’s what I love.”

Huerta’s first time away from the sport was a brief one when he announced a few months after the loss to Florian that he was taking a hiatus to pursue acting opportunities. After finishing his UFC contract, however, he joined Bellator in 2010 before signing with ONE Championship in 2012, where he’d compete until 2016 — with another two-year layoff in-between.

Between 2008 and 2017, Huerta suffered losses at the hands of Florian, Gray Maynard, Eddie Alvarez, Pat Curran and more. Since returning to Bellator last year, he’s been finished by Benson Henderson and Patricky “Pitbull” Freire.

With how often he’s lost, and his time spent outside competition, some might feel Huerta should stop competing once and for all. But with his heart still in the sport, Huerta says he feels like he still has plenty of gas left in the tank — five years of it, to be specific.

“I have a five-year plan,” Huerta said. “If that plan comes sooner, so be it. If not, I’ve got five years before I close this chapter of my life.”

Huerta will look for his first win since 2017 this weekend, but it’ll be another tough task for him inside the cage. His opponent, who will be making his Bellator debut, is considered to potentially be one of the best lightweight prospects right now. Outlaw will enter this fight on an eight-fight win streak, having not lost since dropping a decision to current UFC fighter Gregor Gillespie in June 2016.

Huerta does not have any prediction for how it will play out, but he’s confident his extra experience and seasoning as a fighter will lead him to victory.

“He’s a dangerous up-and-comer. Trains at American Top Team, one of the best camps in the world with some of the best fighters in the world. He’s a very dangerous grappler.

“I don’t know how the win is going to come, all I know is I’m getting my hand raised.”

Bellator 234 takes place on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, from the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv, Israel. Follow along with FanSided MMA for live results and highlights.