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RIZIN champion Kyoji Horiguchi returning to UFC after eight years
Japanese mixed martial arts star Kyoji Horiguchi announced he is returning to the UFC more than eight years after leaving the organization.
Kyoji Horiguchi is returning to the UFC more than eight years after leaving the organization.
The Japanese mixed martial arts star announced Sunday at RIZIN 50, an MMA event that took place in Kagawa, that he is vacating his RIZIN flyweight title and re-signing with the UFC.
The 34-year-old is also a former one-time Bellator MMA bantamweight champion. Horiguchi has competed at both 135 pounds (bantamweight) and 125 pounds (flyweight) throughout his professional career and is unbeaten since 2022. He has not lost whilst competing at flyweight since a 2015 UFC title fight.
Horiguchi debuted in the UFC in 2013 and amassed a 4-0 record before losing in a title fight to former longtime 125-pound champion Demetrious Johnson in the main event of UFC 186 back in April of 2015. Horiguchi, who was only 24 at the time, was submitted with a highlight-reel armbar in the literal last second of the final round in one of the best finishes of Johnson’s illustrious fighting career.
The talented member of American Top Team followed up his championship loss to “Mighty Mouse” with consecutive decision wins over Chico Camus, Neil Seery and Ali Bagautinov before leaving the UFC and debuting with RIZIN in 2017.
Horiguchi stretched his post-UFC winning streak to double digits, but had it snapped by Kai Asakura in 2019.
Asakura, also a former RIZIN titleholder, signed with the UFC late last year and made his organizational debut in December in the UFC 310 main event, losing by second-round submission to reigning flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja.
Horiguchi avenged that loss to Asakura less than five months later and holds notable victories over past Bellator champions Sergio Pettis and Darrion Caldwell, plus a 2017 submission win over current No. 6-ranked UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape.
The RIZIN organization announced it will hold a flyweight grand prix tournament later this year to help crown a new champion in the division to succeed Horiguchi.
The UFC has yet to make an official announcement about Horiguchi’s return. It is unclear when and against whom his next fight will take place.
