After making history by securing both the RIZIN and Bellator bantamweight championships, Kyoji Horiguchi suffered a horrible loss at the hands of Kai Asakura. This led to Horiguchi relinquishing both the RIZIN and Bellator belts when it was discovered he had an ACL tear.
And now, the former king is back to earn his belt back against Asakura, and there’s no better occasion than the upcoming RIZIN extravaganza on New Year’s Eve.
The bout was announced this week and will be another title defense for Asakura (16-2). Since their first encounter, Asakura has remained extra busy suffering a loss at the hands of current UFC fighter Manel Kape, but regaining the title after Kape vacated it with a win over grappling ace Hiromasa Ogikubo and a most violent stellar title defense against Shoji Maruyama.