Kyoji Horiguchi is getting his wish.
MMA Mania has confirmed with sources that the former RIZIN and Bellator bantamweight titleholder Horiguchi (31-5) will welcome his fellow former UFC contender Ray Borg (16-5) to the promotion at Bellator 295 on April 22 in Honolulu, Hawaii. The bout will take place at 125 pounds. Brett Okamoto was the first to mention the matchup’s possibility.
Borg was signed by Bellator late last month and is wasting no time looking to extend his current winning streak. Since his May 2020 split decision loss to Ricky Simon in UFC (his final fight in the octagon), Borg has won three straight, starting with a UAE Warriors win over Jesse Arnett before defeating Cody Gibson and Ricky Bandejas in Eagle FC.
Horiguchi last fought at RIZIN 40 on New Year’s Eve, returning to flyweight for the first time since April 2017. The event saw Horiguchi pick up a third career win over Hiromasa Ougikubo, winning via a unanimous decision.
Bellator has yet to officially open a full flyweight division, but both men are no strangers to the weight class, having each challenged for UFC gold during their runs with the promotion. During his time in the UFC, Borg struggled with weight at 125 pounds, missing the 126-pound limit on three occasions.
The current lineup for Bellator 295 can be seen below.
- 135lbs.: (IC)Raufeon Stots vs. Patchy Mix
- 125lbs.: Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Ray Borg
- 125lbs.: Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Kana Watanabe
- 265lbs.: Davion Franklin vs. Kasim Aras
- 155lbs.: Yancy Medeiros vs. Charlie Leary
- 155lbs.: Bobby King vs. Aalon Cruz
- 145lbs.: Keoni Diggs vs. Weber Almeida
- 145lbs.: Kai Kamaka III vs. Adli Edwards
- 125lbs.: Sumiko Inaba vs. Veta Arteaga