Horiguchi focused before fighting in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC
Kyoji Horiguchi simply shone in his UFC return. Last Saturday in Qatar, the Japanese fighter punished Tagir Ulanbekov , a friend of Khabib Nurmagomedov , and finished him in the third round. Happy with the important victory in his return to the octagon, the athlete didn't think twice about challenging Alexandre Pantoja , the dominant flyweight champion (up to 57 kg), whom he knows like few others.
It's worth highlighting that Horiguchi is a friend and one of the Brazilian's main training partners at the 'American Top Team' academy. However, despite his good relationship with Pantoja, the Japanese fighter is ready to reach the top and willing to separate his personal and professional life. In fact, the athlete, one of the best MMA fighters in Japanese history, promised to shock the world by ending 'The Cannibal's' reign in a dramatic way.
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“I’m feeling great right now because I’m back in the UFC. This is my dream. I want to win the UFC belt. Where’s Pantoja? He’s my teammate, but it doesn’t matter. I’m going to beat you up! Wow! I don’t care. I have a lot of respect for him, but a fight is a fight. It’s business. Wow!”, said the athlete in the post-fight interview, still in the octagon.
Horiguchi's achievements in MMA
In his first stint in the UFC, Kyoji Horiguchi stood out and even competed for the flyweight title in 2015, but was submitted by the legendary Demetrious Johnson . After leaving the company, the Japanese fighter became champion of the flyweight and bantamweight divisions in Rizin, and also the bantamweight champion in Bellator. Now, the athlete aims to win the title in Dana White's company's division.
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