Athletes
Kyoji Horiguchi | One Step At A Time
Returning Japanese Standout Focused Exclusively On Task At Hand, For Now
When Kyoji Horiguchi crosses the threshold into the Octagon this weekend to face off with Tagir Ulanbekov, it will come nine years (and a couple days) after his last appearance on the biggest stage in the sport.
The Japanese flyweight opted to not to renew his contract when it expired back in 2016, exiting the promotion on a three-fight winning streak having amassed a 7-1 record under the UFC banner and established himself as a potential fixture in the title picture at 125 pounds. After all, his lone loss came on a literal last-second armbar in a championship main event opposite Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson at UFC 186 in Montreal.
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“Wow!” Horiguchi said excitedly on Wednesday when informed that his last appearance in the UFC had taken place nine years to the day prior. “I didn’t know that.”
Over the extended stretch between his first UFC stint and the start of the second this weekend in the main card opener of UFC’s inaugural fight card in Qatar, Horiguchi continued to show he was one of the best fighters in the world. He signed with Rizin and won the company’s Bantamweight Grand Prix in 2017, submitting Manel Kape in the semifinals before knocking out Shintaro Ishiwatari in the finals later that same evening. He won the promotion’s bantamweight title a year later, claimed the Bellator bantamweight strap six months after that, and rounded out his time outside of the UFC by winning and successfully defending the Rizin flyweight title.
Now, he’s back in the UFC with one goal in mind.
“I want to find out who’s the best in the world; that’s why I came back to the UFC,” Horiguchi explained when asked why the timing was right for him to make his return.
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When he announced his departure from Rizin in March, the 35-year-old standout told the crowd in attendance that he wanted to become the first Japanese fighter to win a UFC title. Only six fighters from Japan have ever fought for championship gold inside the Octagon, with Horiguchi joining Yuki Kondo, Kenichi Yamamoto, Hayato “Mach” Sakurai, and Yushin Okami, with Kai Asakura joining the list last December in his own failed bid to claim the UFC flyweight title.
The returning veteran sees winning the belt as a means of earning increased attention in his home country. Not just for himself, but for the sport and the promotion as well.
“I wanna get the belt,” began Horiguchi, who carries a 34-5 record with one no contest into Saturday’s clash with Ulanbekov. “If I get the belt, it means a lot because I’m a little bit famous in Japan, so it would make me and the UFC more popular in Japan.
“I want to make it popular.”
As of right now, challenging for the title would create an internal conflict at American Top Team, as the belt is held by Horiguchi’s teammate and training partner Alexandre Pantoja.
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“When I see Pantoja, I am always saying, ‘I will beat your a**!’” he said, jabbing his right index finger at the screen, mimicking the faux anger he exhibits towards his Brazilian contemporary whenever they’re in the gym together. “And then we laugh with each other.”
When asked about potentially seeing an all-ATT clash with the UFC flyweight title hanging in the balance — the champion Pantoja and his longtime head coach and chief corner “Parrumpa” Marcos Da Matta on one side, Horiguchi and his perpetual right-hand man Mike Brown on the other – the 35-year-old returning talent laughed, explaining the awkwardness that would bring given who is in his corner this weekend.
“It’s a funny thing: my corner is Mike Brown, Cody Durden, and Parrumpa,” explained Horiguchi, laughing.
While the intersquad clash may end up only being a pipe dream — or something those fortunate enough to be in the room for if the two ever spar together in Coconut Creek — the former title challenger’s ambition to return to that role is very much real, and he’s eager to start that journey this weekend in Qatar.
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Horiguchi’s return comes at an exciting time for the flyweight division, not only because there is an electric championship match on deck next month between Pantoja and surging challenger Joshua Van, but because from top-to-bottom, the division has never felt deeper or more competitive.
“Right now, there are a lot of very tough fighters,” Horiguchi responded when asked about the state of the 125-pound weight division. “I’m excited to join the division.”
One of those tough fighters is Ulanbekov, the man who will stand opposite him in Doha on Saturday.
Training alongside recently crowned welterweight champ Islam Makhachev and representing the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov lineage, the 34-year-old Russian has long been considered a dark horse in the division, with activity being the one thing thus far that’s hindered his rise up the ranks. But after not competing at all in 2024, Ulanbekov has already posted a pair of decision victories this year to run his winning streak to four and his record to 17-2, reaching his high point in the rankings yet ahead of this weekend’s contest.
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For Horiguchi, the pairing is a chance to return to the fray against a ranked opponent, and a necessary step towards reaching his desired destination.
“He’s not in the Top 5 or Top 10 — he’s actually No. 11 — but I need to beat him before challenging for the ultimate goal,” he said of stepping right in with Ulanbekov.
When asked how he sees the fight playing out and how he makes a triumphant return to the Octagon, the playful Japanese star offered the most honest answer possible in the situation.
“I don’t know,” he said, chuckling. “I’m not fighting yet, so we will see in the Octagon.”
He feels the same way about forecasting what the future has in store as well.
“I’m just focused on this fight, so I’m not sure yet,” Horiguchi added regarding his ambitions and goals for next year.
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Ultimately, it’s the truest answer possible and the best way for the returning contender to approach it, as each trip into the Octagon works like a flowchart with numerous offshoots from each of the different potential outcomes.
For now, the overall aim has been established — bring UFC gold back to Japan for the first time — and how things play out this weekend will either bring him closer to that goal or knock him a step or two back for the time being.
Either way, it’s great to have Horiguchi back in the division, and it’s going to be exciting to see him compete on the biggest stage in the sport once again.
UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Hooker took place live from ABHA Arena in Doha, Qatar on November 22, 2025. 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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