Darrion Caldwell came up short in his bid to become a champion in two promotions, falling to Kyoji Horiguchi at Rizin 14 on New Year’s Eve.
The former NCAA national champion wrestler adopted a conservative approach, taking Horiguchi to the canvas in each round of their bantamweight title bout at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. However, in the third stanza, Horiguchi secured a guillotine choke and forced Caldwell to tap out at the 1:19 mark of the period. With the win, Horiguchi captured Rizin’s inaugural bantamweight strap.
Caldwell, still the reigning Bellator 135-pound king, would like to get a crack at Horiguchi on familiar ground next time.