Kyoji Horiguchi to Face Kai Asakura in Non-Title, Bantamweight Affair at Rizin 18

Kyoji Horiguchi will return to the Rizin ring to face Kai Asakura in a non-title, bantamweight clash on Aug. 18.

Horiguchi, who is the bantamweight champion in both Rizin and Bellator MMA, will not put a belt up for grabs against Asakura at Rizin 18, which takes place at Dolphins Arena in Nagoya Japan.

“Kyoji Horiguchi may just be the best bantamweight in the world at the moment. And out of all the options we had, I do believe that Kai Asakura is the best option who would be able to fight Horiguchi with the most motivation and determination,” Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara said at a press conference. “He’s young, hungry and has been our rising bantamweight and most of all, he will be taking on the greatest fighter in his home town in front of hundreds of his supporters.”

Several other contests were announced for the event on Tuesday: Kanna Asakura vs. Alesha Zappitella; Manel Kape vs. Takeya Mizugaki; Hiroto Uesako vs. Yves Landu; Tataki Soya vs. Yutaro Muramoto and Kazuma Sone vs. an as yet to be determined opponent.

One of the top lighter-weight fighters in the world, Horiguchi is currently on a 13-fight winning streak. In his last outing, the 28-year-old American Top Team product claimed the Bellator 135-pound belt with a five-round verdict against Darrion Caldwell at Madison Square Garden on June 14. Horiguchi previously submitted Caldwell at Rizin 14 to capture the Japanese promotion’s vacant bantamweight strap.

Asakura, 25, is currently on a four-bout winning streak under the Rizin banner. Most recently, the Japanese prospect earned a unanimous decision win over Jae Hoon Moon on Dec. 30. The Tri-Force Akasaka representative owns a 7-1 career mark, with four victories coming inside the distance.