Horiguchi’s Long Road Back to the UFC Spotlight
What a story this is — Kyoji Horiguchi stepping back into the UFC Octagon after nine years. When you look at the timeline, it almost feels surreal. His last fight in the UFC happened nearly a decade ago, and even he was caught off guard when reminded of the exact date. But now, as he prepares to face Tagir Ulanbekov in Qatar, it really feels like a full-circle moment for one of Japan’s most respected mixed martial artists.
Horiguchi’s exit back in 2016 came at a strange time. He wasn’t released, he didn’t fall off the rankings — he chose not to re-sign, even though he was on a three-fight winning streak and sitting at 7–1 inside the UFC. And that single loss was that unforgettable, last-second armbar from Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson in a title fight. Anyone watching back then knew he was legit, and he’s only reinforced that in the years since.
Once he moved to Rizin, things really took off. He won the Bantamweight Grand Prix in one night, first submitting Manel Kape and then knocking out Shintaro Ishiwatari in the finals just hours later. Then came the belts — Rizin’s bantamweight title, Bellator’s bantamweight title, and eventually the Rizin flyweight title, which he defended. If anything, he proved that leaving the UFC didn’t slow him down; it turned him into a world-class globetrotter collecting championships.
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Now at 35, Horiguchi is finally back, and his mission is crystal clear: find out who the best fighter in the world truly is — and ideally, become the first Japanese athlete to win a UFC title. That’s something he’s openly talked about, not because he wants the spotlight on himself, but because he believes a championship win would elevate the sport’s popularity back home. In his words, it would make both him and the UFC resonate more with fans in Japan.
But there’s a twist. The current flyweight champ is Alexandre Pantoja — his own teammate at American Top Team. Horiguchi jokes that he keeps telling Pantoja, “I will beat your a**!” whenever they cross paths in the gym, and they laugh about it, but everyone knows that if it ever comes down to a title fight, things could get complicated. Especially with coaches like Mike Brown and Marcos “Parrumpa” Da Matta split between the two.
For now, though, none of that matters. Horiguchi is focused solely on Ulanbekov, who’s riding a four-fight winning streak and sits at No. 11 in the rankings. Horiguchi knows this is the necessary first step. He isn’t predicting how the fight plays out — he just keeps saying, “We’ll see in the Octagon,” which honestly feels like the most grounded answer he could give.
And that’s the mindset guiding him: one step at a time. One fight, one moment, one opportunity.
No matter what happens in Qatar, it’s genuinely exciting to see Horiguchi back on the sport’s biggest stage. His story isn’t finished yet — and this weekend might just be the start of another incredible chapter.
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