Alexandre Pantoja acknowledges Kyoji Horiguchi’s role in his success but remains open to a potential title clash if the opportunity arises.
Last month, Horiguchi confirmed that he’ll be leaving RIZIN to return to the UFC after nine years. While the promotion has yet to officially announce the details of his comeback bout, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that Horiguchi is expected to face Tagir Ulanbekov in June.
The potential matchup could take place at a UFC Fight Night event, rumored to mark the promotion’s debut in Azerbaijan.
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“The Typhoon” fought under the UFC banner for nearly four years, amassing a 7-1 record. His only setback came during a flyweight championship bout at UFC 186 in April 2015, where he fell victim to a last-second submission by then-champion Demetrious Johnson.
Horiguchi has voiced his ambition to make history as the first Japanese fighter to claim UFC gold. To achieve that milestone, he’ll likely have to go through his longtime American Top Team stablemate and reigning 125-pound champion Alexandre Pantoja — a challenge the Brazilian says he’s more than willing to embrace.
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, "The Cannibal" showered Horiguchi with praise, extolling the Japanese veteran for playing a pivotal role in his growth throughout his MMA journey.
Kyoji Horiguchi helped me get this belt," Alexandre Pantoja said. "If I don’t have Kyoji Horiguchi, I don’t know if I have the opportunity to fight for the belt, I don’t know if I have the to be a champion one day. But I have Kyoji Horiguchi here on my side all my camps. And that’s what I say, if Kyoji Horiguchi helped me to conquer that, he helped my family too.
Pantoja went on to say that, as a gesture of gratitude, he would gladly welcome a championship clash with “The Typhoon” should he put together a winning streak in the UFC.
And all the time I have the chance to say thank you to him, I say Kyoji, thank you for everything you did for me. And it’s gonna be a pleasure if I fight with him for the belt. Just for the belt. I don’t believe I’d fight with Kyoji without the belt, but for the belt, we are talking about that. And it’s gonna be like a gift, this opportunity to fight with Kyoji for the belt. I hope I can still hold this belt for so long and wait Kyoji for that.
"The Cannibal" last stepped into the Octagon at UFC 310 in December, where he delivered a commanding performance by submitting former RIZIN bantamweight champion Kai Asakura, marking his third successful title defense.
Meanwhile, Horiguchi’s most recent outing came at RIZIN 49: Decade in December, where he secured a dominant unanimous decision win over Nkazimulo Zulu, extending his unbeaten run to six straight fights.
He’s remained undefeated since April 2022, when he came up short in a unanimous decision against Patchy Mix at Bellator 279.