Kyoji Horiguchi: ‘I want belt’ and Alexandre Pantoja can get first title shot

Kyoji Horiguchi came back to the UFC for one reason: To finally capture the promotion’s elusive flyweight title.

So far so good.

Horiguchi improved to 2-0 in his second stint with the UFC after scoring an impressive decision win over Amir Albazi in Saturday’s UFC Vegas 113 co-main event. That’s seven straight wins (excluding a no-contest) for Horiguchi now and considering his enormous success in his native Japan and his overall 9-1 record inside the octagon, he knows his in the thick of the title race.

At the UFC Vegas 113 post-fight scrum, Horiguchi was asked if he’d prefer to fight teammate Alexandre Pantoja for the belt, and he responded that he has no preference.

“I don’t care,” Horiguchi said. “I want a belt. If the champion is Pantoja, yes Pantoja. If it’s other guy, yes other guy. That’s all.”

“Of course [Pantoja gets the first shot],” Horiguchi added when asked who he’ll face if he wins the title. “He defended it many times. I think he’s a true champion. It was an accident. I think he’s a true champion.”

The “accident” Horiguchi referred to was Pantoja breaking his arm just 26 seconds into his flyweight championship bout against Joshua Van at UFC 323 n December. The freak injury stopped Pantoja’s streak of four consecutive title defenses and made Van the new champion in shocking fashion. Van’s first challenger is yet to be announced, though Tatsura Taira, Manel Kape, and Pantoja (if he heals quickly enough) are all strong candidates.

Horiguchi spoke about his time away from the UFC, and what he learned as he rose to the top of Japan’s RIZIN promotion as well as the now-defunct Bellator MMA.

“I’m better at everything,” Horiguchi said. “Fighting fear, scared, everything, I learn. That’s why I’m strong right now.”

“Soon, I will get soon, that belt,” he added when asked how it would feel to add a UFC title to his RIZIN and Bellator belts.

Horiguchi showed up to Saturday’s post-fight scrum with a noticeable hand injury. The extent of the injury is still to be determined, though Horiguchi thinks it broke during the fight. As soon as he’s healed up, he expects the matchmakers to call upon his services once more.

“I’m not sure because maybe my hand is a little broke, but when I fix this, it doesn’t matter,” Horiguchi said. “Anywhere, anytime, I can fight.”