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Kyoji Horiguchi

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Kyoji Horiguchi
Born (1990-10-12) October 12, 1990 (age 34)
Other namesThe Supernova (former),[1] The Typhoon[2]
NicknameThe Typhoon
ResidenceTakasaki, Gunma, Japan
NationalityJapanese
Height5 ft 5 in (1.65 m)[3]
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8 st 13 lb)
DivisionBantamweight
Flyweight
Reach66 in (168 cm)[4]
StyleKarate, Kickboxing, Shootfighting
Fighting out ofCoconut Creek, Florida, United States
TeamKRAZY BEE→American Top Team
TrainerNorifumi Yamamoto -> Mike Thomas Brown
RankA-Class Shootist
2nd degree black belt in Shotokan Karate[5]
Years active2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total31
Wins28
By knockout14
By submission3
By decision11
Losses3
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Kyoji Horiguchi (堀口 恭司, Horiguchi Kyōji, born October 12, 1990) is a Japanese mixed martial artist[6] currently competing in Rizin FF[7] and Bellator MMA in the Bantamweight division. He is the former bantamweight champion in both organizations. A professional competitor since 2010, Horiguchi formerly competed in the UFC and is the former Shooto Bantamweight Champion. He graduated from Sakushin Gakuin High School in Utsunomiya, Tochigi, Japan. Horiguchi is training in American Top Team.

Background

Horiguchi began training in karate at the age of five and was talented, as he soon began competing in full-contact competitions and went on to become a regional champion.[8] At the age of 16, Horiguchi viewed a PRIDE Fighting Championships event and became drawn to mixed martial arts. Horiguchi began training in mixed martial arts at the Krazy Bee Gym after graduating high school when he was 18 years old.[8]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Horiguchi made his professional MMA debut in 2010, winning a decision over Ranki Kawana. Prior to this, Horiguchi was Bantamweight fighter, Norifumi Yamamoto's sparring partner. Just two fights later he would win the Shooto 2010 Rookie Tournament, finishing Seiji Akao by TKO early in the second round.

His biggest victory up to that time would come over the 2009 Rookie Tournament runner-up, Yuta Nezu. Horiguchi's knockout power was on display early, knocking out Nezu in the first round. His nickname is The Typhoon.

Horiguchi took on the former Shooto Bantamweight Champion, Masakatsu Ueda on January 8, 2012. Ueda controlled most of the bout with his superior grappling, nearly submitting Horiguchi numerous times. He lost by a majority decision.[9]

Horiguchi captured the Shooto Bantamweight Championship on March 16, 2013 when he defeated Hiromasa Ogikubo submitting him in the second round by rear-naked choke.[10]

On June 22, Horiguchi fought Pancrase Bantamweight Champion, Shintaro Ishiwatari, at VTJ 2nd. The two engaged in a competitive, back and forth fight. Many outlets had Ishiwatari leading on the scorecards heading into the final round. Horiguchi rallied early in the fifth round, landing a barrage of punches on Ishiwatari to force the stoppage and defend his title.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Horiguchi made his promotional debut against Dustin Pague on October 19, 2013 at UFC 166.[11] He was victorious in his debut, winning the fight via TKO in the second round.

Horiguchi was expected to face Chris Cariaso in a Flyweight bout on February 1, 2014 at UFC 169.[12] However, Horiguchi pulled out of the bout citing injury[13] and was replaced by WEC veteran Danny Martinez.[14]

Horiguchi faced Darrell Montague on May 10, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 40.[15] He won the fight via unanimous decision.

A rescheduled bout with Chris Cariaso was expected to take place on September 20, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 52.[16] However, Cariaso was pulled from the bout with Horiguchi in favor of a matchup with current flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC 178.[17] Horiguchi instead faced Jon Delos Reyes.[18] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Horoguchi faced Louis Gaudinot on January 3, 2015 at UFC 182.[19] He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Horiguchi faced Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson on April 25, 2015 in the main event at UFC 186.[20] Despite doing well during the first round, Horiguchi lost the otherwise one-sided fight via an armbar submission at 4:59 of the fifth round, resulting in the latest finish in UFC history.[21]

Horiguchi faced Chico Camus at UFC Fight Night 75 on September 27, 2015.[22] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[23]

Horiguchi next faced Neil Seery on May 8, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 87.[24] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[25]

Horiguchi was expected to face Ali Bagautinov on October 15, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 97.[26] However, the promotion announced on October 6 that they had cancelled the event entirely.[27][28] In turn, the pairing was quickly rescheduled and took place on November 19, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 99.[29] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[30]

It was announced on February 17, 2017 that Horiguchi chose not to renew his contract with the UFC.

Rizin Fighting Federation

On April 16, 2017 Horiguchi made his debut in Rizin where he defeated Yuki Motoya by unanimous decision.[31]

Horiguichi next faced Hideo Tokoro in the first round of the Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix on July 30, 2017 at Rizin 6. He won the fight via knockout in the first round.

Horiguchi competed in the rest of the Bantamweight Grand Prix in December 2017, fighting three times over two days. In the quarter-finals, he faced Gabriel Oliviera on December 29, 2017 at Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. He advanced to the next round, which was held on December 31, 2017 at Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round. He faced Manel Kape in the semi-finals and won via arm-triangle choke submission in the third round. In the final, he faced Shintaro Ishiwatari and won via knockout early into the second round to become the inaugural RIZIN Bantamweight Champion.

Horiguchi faced fellow UFC veteran Ian McCall in the main event at Rizin 10 on May 6, 2018.[32] He defeated McCall just 9 seconds into the first round via KO. This was the second fastest stoppage in Rizin history.

After a 9-second knockout victory, Horiguchi made a quick turnaround to face fellow Japanese champion Hiromasa Ogikubo in a long-awaited rematch.[33] Ogikubo, the current Shooto bantamweight champion, had not lost since he last faced Horiguchi in 2013. Horiguchi won the bout via unanimous decision.

On September 30, 2018, Horiguchi fought Japanese Kickboxing prodigy Tenshin Nasukawa at Rizin 13 under Rizin Kickboxing rules, and lost by unanimous decision.[34]

Horiguchi faced the reigning Bellator Bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell for the vacant Rizin Bantamweight Championship at Rizin 14 on December 31, 2018.[35] He won the fight by submission via a guillotine choke.

Horiguchi next faced Ben Nguyen in a 132 pound catchweight bout on April 21, 2019 at Rizin 15.[36] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Horiguchi headlined Rizin 18 on August 18, 2019 against Kai Asakura in a non-title bout.[37] He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round in a stunning upset. One of the biggest upsets of the 2019 year.

Bellator MMA

In April 2019, it was announced that Horiguchi would face Darrion Caldwell for the Bellator Bantamweight title on June 14, 2019 at Bellator 222.[38] The pair previously fought in December 2018 in the Rizin promotion with Horiguchi winning by submission. Scott Coker, president of Bellator MMA disclosed to the media that Horiguchi's contract features a rematch clause. Should Horiguchi win the rematch, he will be obligated to defend the Bellator belt once a year.[39] Horiguchi won the bout and title by unanimous decision. However, due to the injury suffered in October 2019, Horiguchi vacated his Bellator Bantamweight championship in late November 2019.[40]

Return to Rizin

On August 18th 2019, Horiguchi returned to Rizin to fight Kai Asakura in a non-title bout at Rizin 18. Horiguchi lost the fight by TKO 67 seconds into the first round.

Horiguchi was expected to defend his Rizin FF Bantamweight Championship title against Kai Asakura in a rematch at Rizin 20 on December 31, 2019.[41] However, Horiguchi pulled out of the fight in mid-November citing a knee injury that is expected to keep him out of action for approximately 10 - 12 months. In turn, his bantamweight title has been vacated.[42]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
31 matches 28 wins 3 losses
By knockout 14 1
By submission 3 1
By decision 11 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 28–3 Kai Asakura KO (punches) Rizin 18 August 18, 2019 1 1:07 Nagoya, Japan Non-title bout.
Win 28–2 Darrion Caldwell Decision (unanimous) Bellator 222 June 14, 2019 5 5:00 New York City, New York, United States Won the Bellator Bantamweight World Championship. Vacated title in November 2019 due to injury.
Win 27–2 Ben Nguyen KO (punches) Rizin 15 April 21, 2019 1 2:53 Yokohama, Japan Catchweight (132 lbs) bout.
Win 26–2 Darrion Caldwell Submission (guillotine choke) Rizin 14 December 31, 2018 3 1:19 Saitama, Japan Won the inaugural Rizin Bantamweight Championship. Vacated title in November 2019 due to injury.
Win 25–2 Hiromasa Ogikubo Decision (unanimous) Rizin 11 July 29, 2018 2 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Win 24–2 Ian McCall KO (punch) Rizin 10 May 6, 2018 1 0:09 Fukuoka, Japan
Win 23–2 Shintaro Ishiwatari KO (punches) Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Final Round December 31, 2017 2 0:14 Saitama, Japan Won the 2017 Rizin Bantamweight Grand-Prix.
Win 22–2 Manel Kape Submission (arm-triangle choke) 3 4:27 2017 Rizin Bantamweight Grand-Prix Semifinal.
Win 21–2 Gabriel Oliveira TKO (punches) Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: 2nd Round December 29, 2017 1 4:30 Saitama, Japan 2017 Rizin Bantamweight Grand-Prix Quarterfinal.
Win 20–2 Hideo Tokoro KO (punches) Rizin World Grand Prix 2017: Opening Round - Part 1 July 30, 2017 1 1:49 Saitama, Japan Return to Bantamweight. 2017 Rizin Bantamweight Grand-Prix First Round.
Win 19–2 Yuki Motoya Decision (unanimous) Rizin FF 5: Sakura April 16, 2017 2 5:00 Yokohama, Japan
Win 18–2 Ali Bagautinov Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2 November 19, 2016 3 5:00 Belfast, Northern Ireland
Win 17–2 Neil Seery Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski May 8, 2016 3 5:00 Rotterdam, Netherlands
Win 16–2 Chico Camus Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Barnett vs. Nelson September 27, 2015 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Loss 15–2 Demetrious Johnson Submission (armbar) UFC 186 April 25, 2015 5 4:59 Montreal, Quebec, Canada For the UFC Flyweight Championship.
Win 15–1 Louis Gaudinot Decision (unanimous) UFC 182 January 3, 2015 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–1 Jon delos Reyes TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Nelson September 20, 2014 1 3:48 Saitama, Japan
Win 13–1 Darrell Montague Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva May 10, 2014 3 5:00 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States Flyweight debut.
Win 12–1 Dustin Pague TKO (punches) UFC 166 October 19, 2013 2 3:51 Houston, Texas, United States
Win 11–1 Shintaro Ishiwatari TKO (punches) Vale Tudo Japan 2nd June 22, 2013 5 0:41 Tokyo, Japan Defended the Shooto Bantamweight Championship.
Win 10–1 Hiromasa Ogikubo Submission (rear-naked choke) Shooto: 2nd Round 2013 March 16, 2013 2 1:35 Tokyo, Japan Won the Shooto Bantamweight Championship.
Win 9–1 Ian Loveland Decision (unanimous) Vale Tudo Japan 1st December 24, 2012 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 8–1 Manabu Inoue Decision (unanimous) Shooto: 8th Round July 16, 2012 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 7–1 Tetsu Suzuki TKO (punches) Shooto: 3rd Round March 10, 2012 1 2:06 Tokyo, Japan
Loss 6–1 Masakatsu Ueda Decision (majority) Shooto: Survivor Tournament Final January 8, 2012 3 5:00 Tokyo, Japan
Win 6–0 Naohiro Mizuno KO (punches) Shooto: Shootor's Legacy 4 September 23, 2011 2 3:26 Tokyo, Japan
Win 5–0 Yuta Nezu KO (punch) Shooto: Shootor's Legacy 3 July 18, 2011 1 3:17 Tokyo, Japan
Win 4–0 Takahiro Hosoi TKO (punches) Shooto: Shooto Tradition 2011 April 29, 2011 1 1:06 Tokyo, Japan
Win 3–0 Seiji Akao TKO (punches) Shooto: The Rookie Tournament 2010 Final December 18, 2010 2 0:43 Tokyo, Japan Won the Shooto 2010 Rookie Tournament.
Win 2–0 Keita Ishibashi TKO (doctor stoppage) Shooto: Gig Tokyo 5 August 7, 2010 1 2:23 Tokyo, Japan
Win 1–0 Ranki Kawana Decision (unanimous) Shooto: Kitazawa Shooto Vol. 3 May 9, 2010 2 5:00 Tokyo, Japan

Kickboxing record

0 wins (0 KOs), 1 losses
Result Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 0-1 Tenshin Nasukawa Decision (unanimous) Rizin 13 September 30, 2018 3 3:00 Saitama, Japan
Legend
  Win
  Loss
  Draw/No contest

See also

References

  1. ^ ""The supernova" The possibility that Kyoji Horiguchi showed in the debut match of UFC". sportsnavi(Japanese HP). Retrieved 2014-05-11.
  2. ^ https://pop.inquirer.net/2016/09/ufc-x-inqpop-presents-kyoji-horiguchi. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Barnett vs. Nelson". UFC.com. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
  4. ^ "Fight Card - UFC 186 Johnson vs. Horiguchi". UFC.com. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  5. ^ "Kyoji Horiguchi - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  6. ^ "Kyoji Horiguchi Smashes Tetsu Suzuki at Shooto 2012 3rd Round". Sherdog. March 10, 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-18.
  7. ^ Raphael Garcia (February 21, 2017). "Horiguchi signs with (sic) Rizin Fighting". FanSided.com. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Sebastian Stein (May 2, 2014). "Japan's Karate Kid: Kyoji Horiguchi". fightland.vice.com.
  9. ^ Horiguchi Falls to Ueda "Kyoji Horiguchi Falls to Ueda - Full Video Included". mma-japan.com. Retrieved 2012-01-18. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  10. ^ Marchand, Dean (16 March 2013). "Bantamweight Prospect Kyoji Horiguchi Captures Gold, Caol Uno Wins at Shooto '2nd Round 2013'". Sherdog. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  11. ^ Staff (2013-09-13). "Kyoji Horiguchi UFC Bound – Faces Dustin Pague At UFC 166". asianmma.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  12. ^ Staff (2013-11-16). "Kyoji Horiguchi drops to flyweight, meets Chris Cariaso at UFC 169". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
  13. ^ Dann Stupp (2014-01-15). "Kyoji Horiguchi drops off UFC 169 card". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  14. ^ Dann Stupp (2014-01-15). "Danny Martinez gets call for octagon debut at UFC 169". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
  15. ^ Matt Erickson (2014-02-21). "Horoguchi-Montague added to UFC Fight Night in Cincinnati". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-02-21.
  16. ^ Dave Meltzer (2014-06-26). "Akiyama, Yamamoto, Gomi all set to compete on UFC's Sept. 20 show". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2014-06-26.
  17. ^ Staff (2014-07-15). "Champ Demetrious Johnson faces Chris Cariaso at UFC 177". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  18. ^ Jacob Cooper (2014-08-08). "Kyoji Horiguchi faces Jon Delos Reyes at UFC Fight Night 52". cagepages.com. Retrieved 2014-08-08.
  19. ^ Marc Raimondi (2014-10-17). "Flyweight contenders Kyoji Horiguchi, Louis Gaudinot meet at UFC 182". foxsports.com. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  20. ^ Staff (2015-02-10). "Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. Kyoji Horiguchi is UFC 186's new co-main event". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
  21. ^ Alex Schlinsky (2015-04-26). "UFC 186 results: Demetrious Johnson dominates, submits Kyoji Horiguchi in last second of title fight". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2015-04-26.
  22. ^ Thomas Gerbasi (2015-08-08). "Mega-Friday Fight Update". UFC.com. Retrieved 2015-08-08.
  23. ^ Ben Fowlkes (2014-09-26). "UFC Fight Night 75 results: Kyoji Horiguchi gets decision sweep over Chico Camus". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-09-26.
  24. ^ Staff (2016-03-23). "Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Neil Seery slated for UFC Fight Night 87 in Rotterdam". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
  25. ^ Steven Marrocco (2016-05-08). "UFC Fight Night 87 results: Ex-title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi takes care of gritty Neil Seery". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  26. ^ Anton Tabuena (2016-08-16). "Flyweights Kyoji Horiguchi vs Ali Bagautinov added to UFC Manila". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2016-08-16.
  27. ^ Staff (2016-10-06). "UFC Fight Night Manila: Lamas vs. Penn to be rescheduled". ufc.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  28. ^ Staff (2016-10-06). "After B.J. Penn's withdrawal, UFC cancels next week's UFC Fight Night 97 event in Philippines". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  29. ^ Ben Kiely (2016-10-13). "UFC Belfast benefits greatly from cancelled Manila event as exciting flyweight bout finds new home". sportsjoe.ie. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  30. ^ Ben Fowlkes (2016-11-19). "UFC Fight Night 99 results: Kyoji Horiguchi sweeps Ali Bagautinov on scorecards". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  31. ^ Tim Burke (2017-02-17). "Flyweight Kyoji Horiguchi is officially a free agent". bloodyelbow.com. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  32. ^ Chris Nelson (2018-04-22). "Ex-UFC Flyweights Kyoji Horiguchi, Ian McCall Headline Finalized Rizin 10 Fight Card". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2018-04-22.
  33. ^ Raimondi, Marc (2018-05-16). "Kyoji Horiguchi gets quick turnaround, faces TUF alum Hiromasa Ogikubo at Rizin 11". mmafighting.com.
  34. ^ Fernanda Prates (2018-09-30). "Rizin FF 13 results: Horiguchi edged out by Nasukawa, Prochazka and Cruickshank score violent finishes". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
  35. ^ Damon Martin (November 29, 2018). "Bellator Champ Darrion Caldwell vs. RIZIN Champ Kyoji Horiguchi Set for RIZIN 14". mmaweekly.com.
  36. ^ "【アーカイブ動画】1.31『RIZIN.15』記者会見 - RIZIN FIGHTING FEDERATION（ライジン オフィシャルサイト）". jp.rizinff.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  37. ^ Guilherme Cruz (July 8, 2019). "Kyoji Horiguchi returns to Rizin for non-title bout in August". mmafighting.com.
  38. ^ "Bellator 222: Machida vs. Sonnen". bellator.com. 2019-04-08. Retrieved 2019-04-08.
  39. ^ "Scott Coker says Caldwell vs. Horiguchi has rematch clause – in Bellator, not Rizin". bellator.com. 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2019-05-20.
  40. ^ Danny Segura (November 27, 2019). "Kyoji Horiguchi relinquishes Bellator bantamweight title due to knee injury". mmajunkie.com.
  41. ^ Peter Carroll (October 12, 2019). "Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Kai Asakura 2 booked for Rizin's New Year's Eve event". mmafighting.com.
  42. ^ Nolan King (2019-11-14). "Kyoji Horiguchi withdraws from Rizin FF 20 due to knee injury, subsequently vacates title". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2019-11-14.
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