Why Roger Huerta Chose To Sign With Bellator

Sherdog has the scoop:

"Bellator provided me with a sense of security," Huerta told Sherdog.com on Monday. "I control my own destiny in the tournament. The winner gets to face one of the best lightweight fighters in the world -- that’s the goal. If I lose, then it’s my fault. It’s on me and I can deal with that."  "I know I’ll have a target on my back and that these guys will be fighting with everything they’ve got when they meet me," he said. "I’m going to be facing these guys at their best."

"I know it’s going to be hard because I have to win the three fights, but I’m giving myself more fights if I win," said Huerta. "It’s up to me, and I like the sound of that."

It was announced that Huerta officially signed with the Bellator FC promotion at a news conference that took place this afternoon.  I can't knock Huerta for his decision.  He'll be fighting on TV and will have the opportunity to make over 100K in 3 months barring injury.  On top of that, he'll get a chance to fight top 5 lightweight Eddie Alvarez if he wins the Bellator tournament.  Considering that Huerta lost his last two fights in the UFC, he wasn't really close to getting a title shot, and he wasn't going to make more money with the UFC coming off back to back losses.  This opportunity with Bellator really does put him in the drivers seat so to speak.  If he wins the tournament and beats Eddie Alvarez, he'll be primed to reap the financial rewards and respect as one of the top lightweights out there.  Something he probably wouldn't have gotten to acheive with any other promotion.

Just a question for thought...

If Bellator quietly creeping up on Strikeforce as the #2 promotion?  It'll be interesting to see how it unfolds when they air their tournament next month.  I'm curious to hear your thoughts.