While Kyoji Horiguchi will pump some much-needed new blood (sort of) into the UFC’s flyweight division, ex-titleholder Demetrious Johnson thinks his addition could further complicate things at 125.
Last month, Horiguchi announced that he would vacate the RIZIN flyweight championship after signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship for the second time in his career.
Horiguchi previously competed for the UFC between 2013 and 2016, going 7-1 in the process. He ultimately opted not to renew his contract in 2017 and signed a deal with RIZIN. Since then, Horiguchi has captured both the flyweight and bantamweight world titles in RIZIN.
He also won the Bellator bantamweight championship in June 2019, but was forced to vacate it five months later due to injury.
Now, Horiguchi is back on MMA’s biggest stage determined to add a UFC title to his resume. However, it may not be that simple.
For those unaware, Kyoji Horiguchi and reigning UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja are good friends, regularly training alongside one another at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida.
With friends often unwilling to fight each other inside the Octagon, i.e., Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili, ‘Mighty Mouse’ believes that Horiguchi’s re-addition to the flyweight division could make the top of the division even more of a muddled mess.
“It’s fascinating to see a guy like Kyoji Horiguchi come back to the UFC after such an up-and-down career,” Johnson told Submission Radio. “He’s been through a lot—leaving on a win streak, fighting in RIZIN, losing to Sergio Pettis, but now he’s back with his sights set on the title.
“The dynamic with his main training partner, Alex Pantoja, being the champion is interesting. How do they navigate that? I don’t see them fighting each other, so it could complicate his career path.”
DJ backs pantoja to beat Kyoji Horiguchi in potential uFC title tilt
If Horiguchi and Pantoja can put aside their friendship, it would make for one of the more intriguing matchups in UFC flyweight history. As far as who would come out on top, Johnson believes Pantoja’s world-class grappling and steel-like chin would be enough to win the day against his ATT teammate.
“If Horiguchi wants the belt, he’ll have to fight Pantoja,” Johnson continued. “But I think Pantoja wins that fight—he’s durable, has a hard chin, and is a phenomenal grappler. The flyweight division is stacked right now with guys like Kai Kara-France and Manel Kape. It’s exciting to see how it all plays out.”
