Athletes
Amir Albazi | The Prince Returns
Flyweight Contender Recounts Questioning His Future Ahead Of Clash With Kyoji Horiguchi
Amir Albazi has spent far more time on the sidelines than inside the Octagon over the last three years, with various major health issues stalling the promising flyweight’s career in the UFC.
“It’s been a rollercoaster; a lot has happened even since the fight with Kai Kara-France,” began Albazi, readying to recall the litany of issues that have limited him to just a single appearance since that June 2023 encounter just days ahead of his return to action against Kyoji Horiguchi this weekend at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. “I ended up with heart surgery, and after that, it took a long time for me to get back in the cage. I got booked against (Brandon) Moreno, had to pull out because of neck surgery, so I got that done. Finally did the fight, it didn’t go my way, so the first thing I want to do is get right back in and fight again, as any fighter would.
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“Preparing to fight, got the name Tatsuro Taira, finish the whole camp —everything was finished — and I got the news the week before the fight,” continued Albazi, who was forced to withdraw a week out from his headlining assignment against the Japanese contender. “I don’t want to go into full details, but I didn’t pass one of the most important medical tests, and I actually had another surgery.”
Injuries are a part of the game, but what Albazi has been dealing with over the last several years aren’t your run-of-the-mill issues that come up thanks to a career spent punishing your body in pursuit of championship gold. Not to diminish the litany of familiar issues and surgeries that athletes go through during their careers, but heart surgery and issues that keep you from receiving medical clearance are a different category entirely, one that brings up deeper questions than any competitor wants to wrestle with.
The Prince has POWER 👊@AmirAlbazi returns to the Octagon at #UFCVegas113!
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If you break a bone or tear a ligament, you wonder about when you’ll be able to return, knowing full well that taking the proper steps to heal and recover will lead you back to the mats and eventually into the Octagon again. But for Albazi, “when?” wasn’t the question he struggled with; it was whether he should continue in the sport at all that kept him up at night.
“It’s been tough,” he said with resignation, almost disappointed to admit how much the thoughts of his future weighed on him. “That’s the toughest part so far is to have to deal with those questions all the time, over and over and over again, almost like someone is telling you, ‘Hey —don’t (continue)!’
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“That’s what it felt like, but with my performance in the gym, with how I feel, with how I fight, how mature I’ve gotten, it feels like it’s too early to quit. That thought creeps in, but it doesn’t feel right. My gut is telling me, ‘No,’ and there is a voice in my head telling me, ‘You’re not done; the mission is not accomplished.’”
While wrestling with his uncertain future, Albazi found a silver lining in the career of one of the greatest UFC competitors of all time, leaning on the similar struggles they had to endure before becoming the icon they are today.
“Khabib is a big, big name right now, and he had to deal with a lot of issues; kind of the same thing,” offered the 32-year-old, who sits at No. 6 in the rankings and carries a 17-2 record into Saturday’s showdown with Horiguchi.
And he makes a great point.
Today, Nurmagomedov is universally regarded as one of the best fighters in UFC history; an undefeated former champion who retired early after the passing of his father and coach, Abdulmanap. But for two years between April 19, 2014, and April 16, 2016, Nurmagomedov did not compete, as repeated knee issues and other injuries scuttled a pair of bouts with Donald Cerrone and the first of several attempted matchups opposite Tony Ferguson.
“It’s just part of the story, and we have to be strong enough to take us out of that,” continued Albazi. “I believe this is a part of being a fighter —it’s not just fighting in the cage, but you have to wrestle and fight with life too.”
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But as he readies to step back into the cage, “The Prince” is buzzing with excitement and happy to report he got the “all clear” several weeks ago.
“I thank God, I thank my faith —it kept me on the right path, kept me in good spirits, and here I am,” he said. “Now I’m not gonna take anything for granted until I am right there in the Octagon. So far, so good —I cleared all the medicals, all of that is done beforehand, and now it’s anticipating the fight.”
As he returns to action this weekend, he does so in a division that has undergone some dramatic changes since the last time he competed in November 2024.
Not only has Joshua Van ascended to the top of the division, but the top contenders have shifted as well, with Taira and Manel Kape rocketing into contention, while Horiguchi showed he’s a familiar threat to keep tabs on by trouncing Tagir Ulanbekov in his UFC return in Qatar.
Rather than dwell on the exciting times he missed, Albazi looks at this weekend’s co-main event assignment as his opportunity to propel himself into the thick of things in the 125-pound weight class, and sees the matchup with the Japanese veteran as precisely the kind of fight he was after.
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“I get to be a part of it,” he said with a smile when asked about the state of the division and his feelings watching it shift from afar. “After I put on a good performance on February 7, I’m going to be a part of that conversation. I’m not looking just to go in there to get a win; I’m going in there to put my name in that mix. I’m also gonna be one of the next talked about.
“(This is) exactly what I wanted,” he added, shifting his attention to Horiguchi. “That’s the only way to put my name in the mix. If I fought another guy, it would be ‘Yeah, but…’ and that I would have to fight again.
“To be fighting Horiguchi is a great way to put my name in the mix, but also a great experience for me as a fighter. Everyone wants to fight the best of the best, and at the end of the day, whether I become a champion or not, I want to be able to say I fought the best of the best, and Horiguchi is one of those guys.”
After too many days on the sidelines, too many opportunities that had to be declined or that slipped from his grasp in the late stages, Albazi is finally on the precipice of making the walk once more, and he’ll do so with the same intention as always — to earn a victory and show that he is amongst the best in the world —but also armed with a different outlook on competing.
“It’s gonna feel amazing,” he said of stepping back onto the canvas on Saturday night. “I felt with the Moreno fight that it wasn’t really me.
“I enjoy fighting; that’s why when I am in the cage, I am always smiling, enjoying it. That fight, it wasn’t like that; I don’t know what it was, but it wasn’t how I usually feel inside the fight, so I’m excited to walk in there and just be me — enjoy the fight, fight my a** off and be me.
“The most important thing for me is to enjoy myself, and how can you not look forward to something like that,” he added. “I’m super-excited. I’m counting down the days. I can’t wait to step in there.”
UFC Fight Night: Bautista vs Oliveira took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 7, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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