Kyoji Horiguchi is someone who is poised to do some great things in his return to the UFC octagon, according to a former three-time opponent of Horiguchi’s.
That combatant in question is Hiromasa Ougikubo, who is on the heels of winning the Rizin flyweight grand prix, as well as the vacant RFF flyweight title Horiguchi left behind upon re-signing to the UFC, at Rizin’s annual New Year’s Eve show a few weeks back.
When asked for his thoughts on this key flyweight fight this weekend with Horiguchi vs. Albazi at UFC Vegas 113, Ougikubo said [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“So I predict that Horiguchi will dominate and I think he’s probably going to finish him [Amir Albazi]. Knock him out.”
When it was mentioned that the reigning kingpin of Rizin’s 125-pound class was emphatically confident in predicting this consequential contest in his weight class which is set for Saturday at the Meta Apex, Ougikubo responded [via Bowks Talking Bouts],
“Yeah so obviously he’s beaten me three times. So I know what kind of damage he can do to somebody obviously. I’ve seen Amir Albazi’s fights and, you know, not to think anything less about him. But I just think overall Horiguchi is just that much better than him.”
Kyoji Horiguchi wants to cement himself as Japan’s first UFC champion
Kyoji Horiguchi aims to make history for Japanese MMA and cement himself in the UFC history books. But the former Bellator MMA bantamweight champ is in a bit of a race with his fellow countryman. Tatsuro Taira is also fast-climbing the UFC’s flyweight ranks in his own right. At the pre-fight media day ahead of his Albazi clash, Horiguchi humbly mentioned that he wasn’t overly preoccupied with the notion of becoming the first Japanese mixed martial artist to become a UFC titleholder.
When Taira’s upward trajectory was mentioned, Kyoji Horiguchi quipped that it wouldn’t meaningfully matter to him whether he was the first or second combatant from Japan to win a UFC strap, but that he would eventually win the belt.
The former Rizin champion had previously challenged for UFC gold when Horiguchi contended for Demetrious Johnson‘s flyweight belt, with the latter submitting the former at UFC 186 in April 2015.