Kyoji Horiguchi is ready to put aside his friendship with Alexandre Pantoja if it means a shot at UFC gold.
After 10 years removed from his last fight inside the Octagon, the former RIZIN and Bellator champion returns to MMA’s biggest stage, hoping to claim the one world title that has eluded him thus far. And it all begins on Saturday, June 21, when Horiguchi meets surging Dagestani sensation Tagir Ulanbekov at a UFC Fight Night card in Baku, Azerbaijan.
With a win over Ulanbekov, Horiguchi will immediately thrust himself into the flyweight top 10, putting him in a prime position to challenge for the division’s top prize. However, some question whether or not Horiguchi will ever challenge for the title, given his friendship with Pantoja, who currently sits atop the flyweight throne.
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Horiguchi made it clear that he would not let his relationship with ‘The Cannibal’ get in his way of checking off the last box left on his MMA bucket list.
“I don’t care, honestly, but I need to get belt,” Horiguchi said. “But my friend has a belt, you know? Yeah, yeah, it’s going to be good fight… Yeah. Fight a friend, friend, then make good money. It’s going to be good.”
Kyoji Horiguchi looks to continue the Dominant Run he walked away from nine years ago
Between 2013 and 2016, Horiguchi put together an impressive 7-1 run inside the Octagon, his only loss coming against P4P great Demetrious Johnson. Following a win over Ali Bagautinov at UFC Fight Night 99, Horiguchi declined to extend his contract with the promotion, instead opting to sign with RIZIN, where he’d spend the next seven years of his career.
During his time in Japan, Horiguchi went 14-1 and rides into his UFC return on a five-fight win streak.
