Kyoji Horiguchi is one of the very best flyweights on the planet. After conquering Rizin Fighting Federation’s bantamweight grand prix in style, he is one of the best bantamweights to boot.
On Sunday, inside of Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, the 27-year-old Horiguchi blasted 135-pound King of Pancrase Shintaro Ishiwatari in the final of Rizin’s 2017 bantamweight grand prix. After punching out beloved “Cinderella Boy” Hideo Tokoro in July, Horiguchi prevailed over previously unbeaten Brazilian prospect Gabriel Leite de Oliveira this past Friday with another first-round knockout to move onto the semifinal round.