Horiguchi is Rizin's new hire. (Photo: Getty Images)
Kyoji Horiguchi is no longer a UFC fighter. Former challenger in the flyweight category, the Japanese was announced this Monday (20) as a new signing for the Rizin Fighting Federation, a tournament based in Japan and led by Nobuyuki Sakakibara, former president of the now-defunct Pride. The athlete should debut in April, but his opponent has not yet been announced.
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Horiguchi was number 3 in the UFC flyweight rankings, but his name was removed from the list last week, after his contract with the company ended. He started a brief negotiation for the renewal, but there was no agreement between the parties and the fighter was left free on the market.
At 26 years of age, the Japanese fighter fought eight times in Ultimate, winning seven victories and suffering just one defeat, against the champion. Demetrious Johnson, in 2015, when he competed for the category belt. After the setback, he won three more victories, the last of which was in November 2016, when he beat Ali Bagautinov at UFC Belfast. In total, there are 20 fights in his professional record, with 18 positive results and two negative results.
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