After already capturing gold in Bellator and RIZIN, UFC Vegas 113’s Kyoji Horiguchi is aiming for the UFC flyweight championship to be next to add to his mantle.
Horiguchi defeated Amir Albazi in a pivotal flyweight contenders’ matchup that served as the UFC Vegas 113 co-main event.
The two felt each other out to start the fight, with Horiguchi looking to show off his speed. Albazi pinned Horiguchi to the fence on a couple of occasions during the round. Both also flashed their power, with Albazi at one point scoring a knockdown with a right hand.
Albazi continued to look to go through Horiguchi’s speedy storm and press him. Horiguchi, however, landed a pair of right hands during the second round that wobbled Albazi. Horiguchi’s speed and footwork led him to take a notable lead in significant strikes through two rounds.
Albazi’s corner encouraged him to be wrestling-heavy in the third, and Albazi got Horiguchi in his grasp in the round’s opening minute. Horiguchi would find his way out of Albazi’s hands, however, and did damage with several punches that busted up Albazi’s nose and put him on wobbly legs.
Those ended up being the keys for Horiguchi, who won with two 30-27 scorecards and a 29-28.
Kyoji Horiguchi Aims For Flyweight Title Shot After Defeating Amir Albazi At UFC Vegas 113
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Horiguchi has now won five straight and is unbeaten in his last eight. He made his UFC debut at UFC Qatar in November, scoring a third-round submission of Tagir Ulanbekov.
Albazi was on a six-fight win streak at one point before injuries derailed his activity. This was his first fight since a loss to former champion Brandon Moreno at UFC Edmonton in November 2024.
