Eddie Alvarez Stops Roger Huerta At Bellator 33Reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez picked up another victory tonight when he stopped former UFC contender Roger “El Matador” Huerta in a non-title bout at Bellator 33. The entertaining fight was stopped on the advice of the cageside doctor following the second round.

Also on the event’s televised card, wrestling standout Ben Askren captured the Bellator Welterweight Championship with a five-round decision victory over former champion Lyman “Cyborg” Good. Askren survived a late rally from Good in the fifth round and handed him his first defeat in the process.

Alvarez (21-2-0) set the tone early on with a hard leg kick that clearly hurt Huerta (21-5-1, 1 NC) and forced him to backpedal. Alvarez kept the pressure on with punches and a knee. He briefly took Huerta down, then put together another combination of punches that prompted Huerta to dive for a takedown. Alvarez used the opportunity to scramble for a choke, but Huerta escaped and stood. He dropped Alvarez with a hook, but Alvarez got back to his feet. Huerta scored with a right hand and Alvarez fired back with a pair of overhand rights of his own before the bell.

Huerta flashed out a head kick in the second round, but Alvarez quickly answered with punches. The fighters exchanged strikes until Alvarez landed a leg kick that dropped Huerta to a knee. He stood and ate a right cross from Alvarez, who continued to dominate the striking exchanges. Huerta missed with a lunging flurry and ate a trio of punches for his efforts. He managed to take Alvarez down, however, and struck from the top. Alvarez scrambled back to his feet and was slammed down again. He stood and landed punches to close out the round.

Between rounds two and three, the fight was waved off by the cageside doctor due to an apparent knee injury suffered by Huerta; likely from the early leg kick. His left eye was also badly swollen, which may have factored into the doctor’s decision. An impressive victory for Alvarez, who again spoke up in favour of a superfight with Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert “El Niño” Melendez.

Winner: Eddie Alvarez by TKO (Doctor Stoppage) at 5:00 of round two. He improves to 21-2-0.

 

While it wasn’t as exciting as the main event, Askren (7-0-0) outpointed Good (10-1-0) in a one-sided decision following a dominant performance that was contested primarily on the ground. Askren took Good down repeatedly throughout the fight and passed to mount at will on multiple occasions. However, save for a handful of arm-triangle choke attempts, he was unable to put Good in any serious danger.

Good’s best rally came in the final round when he landed a powerful upkick that seemed to daze Askren briefly. Askren fell into Good’s guard and Good locked on a triangle choke. He tried to transition into a triangle armbar, but Askren stood up and managed to escape. He promptly moved right back to mount and remained in control until the bell. All three judges sided with Askren, who captured the 170-pound title in the process.

Winner: Ben Askren by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 49-46, 48-47) after five rounds. He improves to 7-0-0 and becomes the new Bellator Welterweight Champion.

 

Bellator Fighting Championships wraps up its third season next Thursday, October 28th, at Bellator 34. The event features a Bellator Middleweight Championship bout between Hector Lombard and Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko, as well as the finals of the Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament between Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii and Zoila “The Warrior Princess” Frausto.

 

 

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)