Tag: Kyoji Horiguchi

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Jan. 3: Kyoji Horiguchi on the rise at flyweight

Kyoji Horiguchi returned to flyweight and placed himself back in the rankings with a win at Bellator vs. Rizin FF on New Year’s Eve.

With most of the MMA world idle for the holidays, Bellator and Rizin hosted a cross-promotion event on New Year’s Eve in Japan.

Bellator’s brightest stars including [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag], [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag], [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag], and [autotag]Gadzhi Rabadanov[/autotag] represented the promotion against Rizin FF’s lineup. It was a clean sweep for Bellator, as they won all five bouts at the year-end event.

Horiguchi returned to flyweight, where he picked up a unanimous decision win over Hiromasa Ougikubo. The former UFC title challenger re-enters the rankings at 125 pounds this week, marking the biggest move ahead of 2023 events.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

After long bantamweight run, Kyoji Horiguchi happy with flyweight return

Former Bellator and Rizin champion Kyoji Horiguchi beat Hiromasa Ougikubo for a third time Saturday in Japan.

[autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] beat Hiromasa Ougikubo with a unanimous decision Saturday at Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator in Japan.

Take a look inside the fight with Horiguchi, who had previous wins over Ougikubo in 2013 and 2018.

John Dodson wants Rizin FF bout vs. Kyoji Horiguchi: ‘He has to be my stepping stone’

John Dodson is hoping to fight fellow former UFC title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi now under the Rizin FF banner.

[autotag]John Dodson[/autotag] wants to take on one of Japan’s best ever.

The former UFC title challenger is hoping to cross paths with former Bellator and Rizin FF champion [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] now that they’re once again fighting under the same banner.

Dodson (23-13) made a statement in his Rizin FF debut at Saturday’s Rizin FF vs. Bellator event in Japan. The 38-year-old knocked out veteran Hideo Tokoro in less than two minutes into their flyweight bout.

Dodson is hoping to fight Horiguchi next, as it’s a bout he was promised long ago.

“I’ve been trying to fight Horiguchi for the last two years,” Dodson told reporters at the post-fight press conference. “When I got released from the UFC, they gave me Horiguchi as a future opponent coming into Rizin, but then the borders were shut down (due to the pandemic), and they wouldn’t let me come over here.

“Then he got signed to Bellator, so it’s been like a back-and-forth thing. I’ve been waiting for my opportunity to really test my abilities against the former champion of Rizin. I want to be the champion, and he has to be my stepping stone to become it.”

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Horiguchi is one of the most successful fighters in Japanese MMA history. He knows he’s likely not going to be the fan favorite going into a potential showdown with the ATT standout, but that doesn’t bother Dodson one bit.

“I don’t care, I can be the villain of any story,” Dodson said. “But at the same time I’m going to come out the hero.”

The win over Tokoro was Dodson’s second MMA fight and second MMA victory of 2022.

“The Magician” was coming off a unanimous decision win over Francisco Rivera back in April at XMMA 4: Black Magic. Dodson also competed in bareknuckle boxing this year, knocking out Ryan Benoit at BKFC 28 in August. Dodson is currently 2-1 in MMA since his departure from the UFC in 2020.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.

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Video: The epic entrances from Bellator’s New Year’s Eve sweep over Rizin

Team Bellator had a pretty epic way to ring in the new year Saturday in Japan, and its members’ entrances were equally epic.

Team Bellator had a pretty epic way to ring in the new year Saturday, and its members’ entrances were equally epic.

Bellator fighters went 5-0 in their matchups against Rizin fighters at a crossover event at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo. Former featherweight champion [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] and current champ [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] got wins at the top of the bill. But so, too, did [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag], [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] and [autotag]Gadzhi Rabadanov[/autotag].

Check out some of the epic only-in-Japan entrances from the fighters on the New Year’s Eve card below.

Rizin FF vs. Bellator results: Kyoji Horiguchi dominates Hiromasa Ougikubo to give Team Bellator series win

Former Bellator and Rizin FF champ Kyoji Horiguchi made it 3-0 for Team Bellator with a one-sided win win.

[autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] is building momentum once again.

The former Bellator champion and ex-UFC title challenger got his second win of 2022 right before the year’s end while notching another victory for Bellator in the promotion’s head-to-head clash against Rizin FF. Horiguchi defeated fellow Japanese veteran [autotag]Hiromasa Ougikubo[/autotag] in a unanimous decision on the main card of Saturday’s Rizin FF vs. Bellator event in Japan.

The event took place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, near Tokyo. The main card airs on Showtime via tape delay at 8 p.m. ET.

Apart from a few moments, it was one-way traffic in favor of Horiguchi (31-5), as he dominated Ougikubo (25-7-2) from start to finish.

In Round 1, Horiguchi did big damage with calf kicks that immediately impaired Ougikubo’s mobility. And towards the end of the round, Horiguchi dropped him with a well-placed shot and finished the round with heavy ground-and-pound from top.

The second round started well for Horiguchi, but he would find himself on bottom halfway through the round. He was unable to get back to his feet, but he also didn’t take much damage. Horiguchi made up for lost time in Round 3, as he dropped Ougikubo in the first few seconds and then out grappled him and controlled him for the remainder of the round.

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With this result, Horiguchi is now on a two-fight wining streak since losing to Patchy Mix at Bellator 279 in April – a loss that saw him eliminated from the Bellator bantamweight grand prix. The Japanese star defeated Yuto Hokamura by technical submission in his bout prior to the Rizin FF vs. Bellator event. Horiguchi is 3-3 since losing the Bellator title in 2019.

Horiguchi’s victory made it 3-0 for Team Bellator at the event, joining Juan Archuleta and Gadzhi Rabadanov in the winner’s circle.

Official Rizin vs. Bellator results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.

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Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator weigh-in results: Promotion vs. promotion fights official

Check out the results from the official Rizin FF 40 weigh-ins, which features fight Rizin vs. Bellator cross-promotional fights.

The stage is set for the final major MMA event of 2022 after official weigh-ins for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator went down Thursday night in Japan.

With five promotion vs. promotion fights set for the main card, which airs on Showtime via tape-delay on Saturday from Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo, all the notable athletes successfully made weight.

In the main event, Rizin FF lightweight champion [autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] (14-1) will welcome former Bellator featherweight titleholder [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] (19-1) to his turf in a compelling matchup. The co-headliner wills see current Bellator featherweight champ [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (34-5) take on Rizin FF’s [autotag]Kleber Koike Erbst[/autotag] (31-5-1).

Check out the complete main card weigh-in results below:

  • A.J. McKee (154.7) vs. Roberto de Souza (156)
  • Kleber Koike Erbst (145.2) vs. Patricio Freire (145)
  • [autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] (124.8) vs. [autotag]Hiromasa Ougikubo[/autotag] (125.4)
  • [autotag]Juan Archuleta[/autotag] (134) vs. [autotag]Soo Chul Kim[/autotag] (133.8)
  • [autotag]Gadzhi Rabadanov[/autotag] (155.9) vs. [autotag]Koji Takeda[/autotag] (156)

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.

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Kyoji Horiguchi: Hiromasa Ougikubo improved, but I should be able to ‘dominate him in every aspect’

“I should be able to control him and dominate him in every aspect.”

[autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] thinks he’ll have the edge over [autotag]Hiromasa Ougikubo[/autotag] everywhere in their trilogy bout.

Horiguchi (30-5) faces Ougikubo (25–6–2) on Saturday’s Rizin 40 card which takes place at Saitama Super Arena just outside Tokyo. The main card will air in the U.S. on Showtime via tape-delay and the fights will take place in Rizin’s ring under the promotion’s ruleset.

Horiguchi already holds two wins over Ougikubo – once by submission to capture the Shooto bantamweight title in 2013, then a second time by unanimous decision at Rizin 11 in 2018, and the Japanese star doesn’t see their trilogy going any differently.

“I think he’s improved his skills since our last fight,” Horiguchi said through an interpreter during the Rizin 40 pre-fight press conference. “But I should be able to control him and dominate him in every aspect.”

He continued, “I just need to control the match and if I do, then I should be able to finish the match. And my condition, I feel very great.”

Horiguchi, a former UFC flyweight title challenger, said he plans on speaking to Bellator president Scott Coker after the fight to ask for the addition of the 125-pound division to the promotion. Horiguchi will compete at flyweight on Saturday for the first time since parting ways with the UFC in 2016.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.

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UFC veterans in MMA action from Dec. 21-31

Check out which UFC veterans are in action over the holidays from Dec. 21-31.

The UFC is done for the year after UFC Fight Night 216 in Las Vegas.

However, there are other MMA promotions in action for their final cards of the year during holidays that feature a number of UFC veterans, including multiple former flyweight title challengers.

These 15 veterans of the UFC are competing across the globe from Dec. 21-31.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Kyoji Horiguchi knows dangers of fighting opponent he’s beat twice already at Bellator vs. Rizin event

Kyoji Horiguchi saw what happened to teammate Kayla Harrison fighting an opponent for a third time after being up 2-0.

[autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] knows he’s entering a situation with limited upside at the Bellator vs. Rizin event on New Year’s Eve.

Horiguchi (30-5), who is a former bantamweight champion under both the Bellator and Rizin banners, will meet Hiromasa Ougikubo (25-6-2) on the main card of the Dec. 31 card, which takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Japan and airs via tape-delay on Showtime.

Ougikubo is a familiar foe to Horiguchi, as they’ve met twice before. Horiguchi won the initial encounter by second-round submission under the Shooto banner in March 2013, then won the rematch more than five years later with a unanimous decision triumph at Rizin FF 11 in July 2018.

The results of the previous fights don’t have Horiguchi expecting that a repeat will be a lock, though. As his American Top Team teammate Kayla Harrison learned in her recent PFL Championship loss to Larissa Pacheco, holding two wins over someone doesn’t mean going 3-0 will be easy.

I beat him twice, but he’s better than before,” Horiguchi told MMA Junkie. “I need to show who is better again. … I am always taking (opponent) seriously, because it’s a fight. If he punch me in the face, of course it’s a knockout. It’s a complicated fight. I always focus.”

After going on a 13-fight winning streak from September 2015-June 2019, Horiguchi has struggled with his results in recent years. He’s 2-3 in his past five fights, including being bounced from the Bellator bantamweight grand prix by Patchy Mix in September.

Mix has advanced to the finals of the tournament, where he’ll challenge interim champ Raufeon Stots in the first quarter of 2023. Sergio Pettis will then fight the winner of the grand prix, and Horiguchi hopes in that time to do enough work that he’s back in the conversation to possibly regain the strap.

“I am focused just on the next fight,” Horiguchi said. “After this fight I will think about it. … I think Patchy Mix is going to win. He’s very good. He have a lot of confidence.”

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 24-30)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from Oct. 24-30.