Sherdog’s Top 10: Might Have Beens

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8. Roger Huerta

It was not supposed to be like this, not for a former Sports Illustrated cover boy who was expected to give the Ultimate Fighting Championship the appeal it desired within the boxing-minded Mexican market. Huerta was 28 years old this past summer when Zorobabel Moreira put “El Matador” to sleep with a vicious soccer kick behind the ear at One Fighting Championship 4 “Destiny of Warriors.” Instead of recovering from his fourth consecutive defeat -- three of which came by knockout -- Huerta, in his athletic prime, should be competing for titles in the Octagon by now.

“I am looking at this as the first stepping stone toward getting back to where I was before,” Huerta said prior to facing Moreira. “[This fight is] an iceberg, and I need to break through. I can’t save anything for the swim back. I’m going all out.”

His rise was plenty promising indeed. Huerta began his UFC tenure with six consecutive victories. His bout with Leonard Garcia landed him on the cover of SI and a back-and-forth battle with Clay Guida -- his last win with the promotion -- was one of 2007’s best fights. After back-to-back decision losses to Kenny Florian and Gray Maynard, Huerta turned down a five-fight contract with the Las Vegas-based organization to pursue a career in acting.

“The opportunity I’m being approached with in another industry is pretty awesome. Who’s 26 years old and has done a movie?” Huerta said before his bout with Maynard.

With appearances in “Tekken” and “Circle of Pain” to his credit, Huerta returned to the cage for Bellator MMA in April 2010 but has yet to recapture his previous form, beating Roger Hinton before embarking on his current skid. Maybe an extended version of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx is to blame.

Number 7 » Dangerously Perplexing