Kyoji Horiguchi is returning to the UFC 10 years on from his disappointing title fight loss to Demetrious Johnson.
Kyoji Horiguchi first competed in the UFC in 2013, showcasing immediately that he could become a big star in the promotion.
After four impressive wins in a row, the Japanese star was granted a title shot against one of the most dominant fighters in the sport ever, Demetrious Johnson.
Unfortunately, Horiguchi suffered a submission loss in the fifth round, and despite going on to pick up several more impressive wins under the UFC banner, he left the promotion in 2017.
Kyoji Horiguchi re-signs with the UFC
After leaving the UFC, the 34-year-old signed with RIZIN, continuing his impressive career in the sport. The Japanese star even went on to pick up a submission win over longtime ranked flyweight Manel Kape.
On the same night he defeated Kape, Horiguchi claimed the RIZIN flyweight title after knocking out Shintaro Ishiwatari, winning the Grand Prix.
In 2018, he then went on to win the vacant RIZIN bantamweight title, going on to win the Bellator bantamweight title just a year later.
Still reigning as the flyweight champion, Horiguchi announced this past Saturday that he will be vacating his title to re-sign with the UFC.
“I’m going to the UFC. I’m going to become the first Japanese UFC champion,” Horiguchi announced.
Kai Asakura had the chance to become the first Japanese champion in the UFC last year when he took on Alexandre Pantoja for the title, subsequently coming up short.
Who will Horiguchi fight in his first fight back in the UFC?
With Horiguchi already coming into the promotion with a highly established name, it is likely that he will be immediately thrust into the top.
As they did with Asakura, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the 34-year-old was handed an immediate title shot, with Pantoja continuing to look for new challengers in the division.
Despite that, after picking up another win at UFC Mexico City this past Saturday, Brandon Moreno will be hopeful that he can fight for the 125lb title again.