After recently declining a contract offer from the UFC, #3 ranked flyweight contender in the world Kyoji Horiguchi did not last very long while on the market.
After meeting with Scott Coker and Bellator MMA at the Bellator 172 show in San Jose on Saturday, it was confirmed just a couple days later that Japanese flyweight Kyoji Horiguchi signed with Japanese-based RIZIN Fighting Federation.
In his debut, Horiguchi will reportedly face DEEP champion Yuki Motoya.
Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Yuki Motoya
Horiguchi (18-2) is a former UFC flyweight title challenger who leaves the promotion having gone 7-1 inside the octagon, only losing to consensus P4P king Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in Montreal. The former Shooto bantamweight champion has won three straight, beating Ali Bagautinov, Neil Seery, and Chico Camus. He enters RIZIN as the #3 ranked UFC flyweight. Prior to being removed from the rankings after leaving, he was only behind Benavidez and Cejudo on the list of contenders.
Motoya (18-4, 1NC) has also won three-straight fights. After wins over Dong Hyuk Ko and Daiki Hata under the DEEP banner, Motoya most recently defeated former Legacy FC title challenger Allan Nascimento on RIZIN’s December 29 show.
The bout is set to take place on April 16 in Yokohama, Japan.
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