Kyoji Horiguchi returns at RIZIN 38 in September, same card as Floyd Mayweather vs. Mikuru Asakura

Kyoji Horiguchi will return in search of his first win of 2022.

[autotag]Kyoji Horiguchi[/autotag] will return in search of his first win of 2022.

The former Bellator titleholder and current Rizin champion has been booked to return to the ring. Horiguchi (29-5) is set to take on [autotag]Yuto Hokamura[/autotag] (14-11-2) in a bantamweight bout at Rizin 38, which is scheduled for Sept. 25 at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

The promotion announced the news Tuesday. It did not specify if the bout between Horiguchi and Hokamura is a championship fight.

Horiguchi is on the heels of the worst streak of his 12-year-career. The Japanese star is on a two-fight skid and 1-3 in his past four outings. Horiguchi was last seen in April when he was eliminated from the Bellator bantamweight grand prix in a unanimous decision loss to Patchy Mix. This upcoming fight will be Horiguchi’s first with Rizin since December 2020.

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Additionally, the previously reported exhibition boxing bout between [autotag]Floyd Mayweather[/autotag] and [autotag]Mikuru Asakura[/autotag] will take place on the same card.

Other matchups that were also announced: [autotag]Kyohei Hagiwara[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Chihiro Suzuki[/autotag] at featherweight; [autotag]Juri Ohara[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Luiz Gustavo[/autotag] at lightweight; [autotag]Shoma Shibisai[/autotag] vs. Callyu Gibrainn at heavyweight, [autotag]Hiromasa Ougikubo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Soo Chul Kim[/autotag] at bantamweight, and [autotag]Nadaka Yoshinari[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bandasak So Trakunpet[/autotag] at strawweight (kickboxing).

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Kai Asakura vs. Manel Kape booked for vacant Rizin belt, additional Bellator 237 bouts announced

Japan’a Rizin FF has confirmed a clutch of new matchups for their end-of-year event, as well as their contributions to Bellator 237.

Japanese promotion Rizin FF has confirmed a clutch of new matchups for their end-of-year event, as well as their contributions to Bellator 237.

Rizin FF 20 takes place Dec. 31 at Saitama Super Arena in Japan. In the night’s headliner, [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag] (14-4) has been added to face the previously announced [autotag]Kai Asakura[/autotag] (14-1) for the Rizin bantamweight title recently vacated by the injured Kyoji Horiguchi.

That brings the total number of Rizin title fights on the card to three.

A host of other fight bookings has also been made for the event, with Russia’s [autotag]Vitaly Shemetov[/autotag] (23-10) vs. EFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Simon Biyong[/autotag] (6-1), [autotag]Jake Heun[/autotag] (14-9) vs. Olympic gold medalist [autotag]Satoshi Ishii[/autotag] (22-10-1) and former Pancrase bantamweight champion [autotag]Shintaro Ishiwatari[/autotag] (26-7-4) will take on “The Ultimate Fighter 24” runner-up [autotag]Hiromasa Ogikubo[/autotag] (19-4-2) in a bantamweight title eliminator, with the winner set to face the winner of the Asakura-Kape matchup early in 2020.

Rizin also announced a pair of new matchups for their co-promoted Dec. 29 event, Bellator 237, with 2017 Rizin grand prix champion [autotag]Kanna Asakura[/autotag] (15-4) set to face [autotag]Jayme Hinshaw[/autotag] (4-3), while heavyweights are set to collide as Japan’s [autotag]Shoma Shibisai[/autotag] (5-2) takes on Russia’s [autotag]Sergey Shemetov[/autotag] (9-6).

Rizin FF 20 confirmed fights include:

  • Kai Asakura vs. Manel Kape – for vacant bantamweight title
  • Champ Jiri Prochazka vs. C.B. Dollaway – for light heavyweight title
  • Champ Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Seo Hee Ham – for super atomweight title
  • Johnny Case vs. Tofiq Musaev – lightweight grand prix semifinal
  • Patricky “Pitbull” Freire vs. Luiz Gustavo – lightweight grand prix semifinal
  • Patrick Mix vs. Yuki Motoya
  • Mikuru Asakura vs. John Teixeira
  • Simon Biyong vs. Vitaly Shemetov
  • Jake Heun vs. Satoshi Ishii
  • Rena Kubota vs. Lindsey Vanzandt
  • Shintaro Ishiwatari vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo

* * * *

Bellator 237 confirmed fights include:

MAIN CARD

  • Fedor Emelianenko vs. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
  • Michael Chandler vs. Benson Henderson
  • Lorenz Larkin vs. Keita Nakamura
  • Ilara Joanne vs. Kana Watanabe
  • Daron Cruickshank vs. Goiti Yamauchi

POSTLIMS

  • Andy Nguyen vs. Ai Shimizu
  • Ryuichiro Sumimura vs. Jon Tuck
  • Jarred Brooks vs. Haruo Ochi
  • Hiroto Uesako vs. Yusuke Yachi
  • Kanna Asakura vs. Jayme Hinshaw
  • Sergey Shemetov vs. Shoma Shibisai