Bellator announced the signing of former champion K. Horiguchi (Photo: Twitter/Scott Coker)
One of the most popular fighters in the East, Kyoji Horiguchi signed a contract with Bellator. The agreement was sealed last Thursday (09) and announced by the organization's president, Scott Coker, via social media. The Japanese arrives at Bellator shortly after announcing that he was free on the market after leaving Rizin FF.
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“We signed world bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi to Bellator and I can’t wait to see him compete in our great bantamweight division,” Coker wrote.
Horiguchi has never been a Bellator fighter, but has held the organization's bantamweight belt (up to 61,2 kg). This is because he defeated Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 222, in a crossover fight between the North American organization and Rizin FF, a Japanese event of which he was part. President Scott Coker had already declared his desire to work with the athlete as the title was never defended.
During his time at Rizin, Horiguchi saw action 11 times, winning ten fights and losing only one. He became champion of the Japanese organization by defeating Kai Asakura at Rizin 26.
Before Rizin, Horiguchi also had a great run in the UFC, where he won seven fights and only lost the fight for the flyweight belt (up to 56,7 kg) against Demetrious Johnson.
The current Bellator bantamweight champion is Sergio Pettis, who won the belt in May this year by defeating Juan Archuleta.
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