Kyoji Horiguchi’s performances over Rizin Fighting Federation’s final two shows of 2017 underlined why a lot of people felt the UFC should have kept the Japanese star on its roster.
Horiguchi claimed the bantamweight tournament championship on Sunday at Saitama Arena, Japan, following two stoppage wins over Shintaro Ishiwatari and Manel Kape.
The main event saw Horiguchi score a crisp one-punch knockout over Ishiwatari in Round 2 to cap off an impressive Grand Prix run. Horiguchi came close to stopping the grounded Pancrase champion in the first round as he poured on strikes through the ropes, but Ishiwatari managed to stay in the contest.