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‘I Want To Fight With Pantoja!’

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“I want every organization’s belt, but if they don’t want [me], I can’t go.” Kyoji Horiguchi has some goals he hopes to check off before all is said and done. Unfortunately for him, he …

RIZIN.20 — Photo by Masashi Hara/Getty Images

“I want every organization’s belt, but if they don’t want [me], I can’t go.”

Kyoji Horiguchi has some goals he hopes to check off before all is said and done. Unfortunately for him, he might not get the chance to make them a reality.

A big bantamweight rematch for RIZIN’s flyweight champion Horiguchi currently awaits him. Horiguchi seeks redemption against Sergio Pettis at RIZIN 47 next month (Sun., June 9, 2024). The first matchup saw Pettis score a fourth-round spinning back fist knockout after losing the first three rounds at Bellator 272 in December 2021. It’s largely considered one of the craziest comebacks in recent MMA history.

Horiguchi, 33, made more history when he claimed the inaugural RIZIN flyweight title at RIZIN 45 in December 2023. His second-round rear-naked choke victory over Makoto “Shinryu” Takahashi (watch highlights) made him the first fighter to hold titles in multiple RIZIN divisions. Shortly after the win, Horiguchi released an autobiography and revealed his interest in giving the UFC another go. Although Horiguchi maintains his feelings, he claims the promotion has no interest.

“I still want to go back, but I don’t know. If they [offer], yes, of course,” Horiguchi told MMA Mania on BROADENED HORIZIN. “They don’t want [me], I can’t go (laughs).”

UFC 301 was looking to be in some trouble regarding its main event and possible challengers for flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja. That was until Steve Erceg emerged with his Matt Schnell knockout (watch highlights). Before that, fans called for the wildcard option of a returning Horiguchi (32-5, 1 NC).

The fight was never a real possibility as Horiguchi is tied up between RIZIN and the PFL after the latter acquired Bellator late last year. It was also pointed out that the champions are teammates at American Top Team (ATT) in Florida. Despite that, both have let it be known they’d fight each other if possible.

“[We’re] really good friends, [it would be a] good fight, we’re teammates,” Horiguchi said. “It’s gonna be hard. I want to fight with him, yeah.

“I think it’s a fun thing because all the time I talk about a UFC title shot, I tell Pantoja, ‘If I go to UFC, I can easily beat you up,’” he laughed. “I say that, but it’s a joke, you know.”

There isn’t much left for Horiguchi to do in MMA aside from winning gold in the UFC, which he attempted to do at UFC 186 against Demetrious Johnson in 2015. He’s a multi-weight and multi-organization champion and wants as many as he can capture. First, vanquishing the taste of his most bitter defeat from his mouth against Pettis is on the list. After that, the PFL isn’t a great option for Horiguchi because of his size.

“I don’t know. PFL doesn’t have flyweight so — also bantamweight, too,” Horiguchi said of fighting in PFL. “It’s hard to make a weight [for featherweight]. I need [to be] more chubby. I don’t want [that] (laughs).

“I want every organization’s belt, but if they don’t want [me], I can’t go (laughs). That’s not my problem.”

Watch the full episode in the video embedded above, or listen to it on Spotify.

BROADENED HORIZIN Ep. 39 AUDIO – ???????:

Conor McGregor hopes to see Justin Gaethje drop the gloves and join BKFC: ‘That’s really, really exciting’

Conor McGregor would love to see Justin Gaethje trade in his four-ounce gloves for a pair of hand wraps….

Conor McGregor would love to see Justin Gaethje trade in his four-ounce gloves for a pair of hand wraps.

In April, the Irish megastar shocked everyone when he revealed that he was now a part owner of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, one of the fastest-growing brands in all of combat sports. Bringing his name to the bustling world of bare knuckle boxing, there’s no telling what could happen or who could show up inside the squared circle.

During a recent interview with TheMACLife ahead of his highly anticipated return to the Octagon at UFC 303 on June 29, the former two-division champion suggested that the BKFC could give new life to MMA fighters looking for a change of pace.

Conor McGregor would rather see fighters go to BKFC than another MMA promotion

During the conversation, ‘Mystic Mac’ suggested that a move from the cage to the ring for former BMF titleholder Justin Gaethje would be a very exciting sight to see.

“We’ve seen former UFC champions or UFC veterans move to other mixed martial arts promotions,” McGregor said. “We’ve seen them fight MMA all their career and now they still fight MMA. It doesn’t pop for me. Now let’s take Justin Gaethje, who is a UFC veteran, former BMF holder, interim belt holder — take him, let’s put him in bare knuckle. That’s exciting. That’s really, really exciting.

“Now let’s take him and put him in another MMA organization, not so [exciting].”

From the start, the BKFC has bolstered its name on the back of current and former MMA stars including Luke Rockhold, Chad Mendes, Eddie Alvarez, Thiago Alves, Michael ‘Venom’ Page, and, of course, its biggest name of all, ‘Platinum’ Mike Perry.

It looks as though another former UFC champion could be toeing the line before long.

Hall of Famer ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler was recently spotted alongside BKFC founder and president David Feldman, leading to immediate speculation that the ex-welterweight champion could be knuckling up against the likes of Mike Perry before long.

Robbie Lawler with BKFC president David Feldman

Watch BROADENED HORIZIN — Feat. Horiguchi And Pettis

BROADENED HORIZIN brings you discussion with your favorite Japanese and RIZIN personalities… in English! BROADENED HORIZIN 39 prepares you for RIZIN 47 with appearances from its headliners.
RIZIN 47 goes down on June 9, 2024, in…

BROADENED HORIZIN brings you discussion with your favorite Japanese and RIZIN personalities… in English!

BROADENED HORIZIN 39 prepares you for RIZIN 47 with appearances from its headliners.

RIZIN 47 goes down on June 9, 2024, in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, featuring a highly-anticipated rematch between RIZIN flyweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi and former Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis. The pair famously first fought at Bellator 272 in December 2021. After comfortably losing the first three rounds, Pettis pulled off one of MMA’s most improbable comeback knockouts ever seen.

First up on BROADENED HORIZIN will be the younger Pettis, as he discusses his preparation for the trip to Japan and more. Horiguchi will close us out and share his desire for redemption. All while recapping his grand title victory his last time out.

Thanks as always to our great guests for chatting and thanks to everyone who supports the show. Whether you’ve been watching on MMA Mania.com, YouTube, or listening on Spotify, thanks as always, and don’t forget to hit like and share if you enjoy.

Watch the full episode in the video embedded above, or listen to it on Spotify.

BROADENED HORIZIN Ep. 39 AUDIO – ???????:

PFL releases former Bellator champion Gegard Mousasi from contract following threats of legal action

Gegard Mousasi is a free man. One day after the former Bellator middleweight champion slammed the PFL, calling it…

Gegard Mousasi is a free man.

One day after the former Bellator middleweight champion slammed the PFL, calling it “the worst organization” and threatening them with legal action, the promotion’s head of fighter operations, Mike Kogan, confirmed that Mousasi has been released from his contract.

“Bellator has released Gegard Mousasi from his agreement,” Kogan wrote. “We wish him all the best fighting in his next chapter.”

While Mousasi has not yet commented on the situation, his manager, Nima Safapour of Moments Management, referred to the release as “alleged” and called out the promotion for not standing by their “fighter first” mantra.

“We will not comment on the merits of the alleged release at this time for obvious reasons,” Safapour said in a written statement provided to MMA Junkie. “However, we believe there is a greater lesson here that our community should pay close attention to. For an organization that repeatedly claims to be ‘fighter first,’ we now truly see how PFL treats their fighters, especially their legends.”

Gegard Mousasi’s Threats of Legal action draw a response from pFL founder Donn Davis

Gegard Mousasi has not competed since a unanimous decision loss to Fabian Edwards in May 2023. 11 months prior, he surrendered his Bellator belt to Johnny Eblen. Following the PFL’s acquisition of the promotion late last year, Mousasi has vented his frustration over being shelved, accusing the PFL of refusing to honor his contract by asking him to take a pay cut.

“They said that the amount [of money I get paid], we don’t want to cut you, it’s so much, that it’s better for you, I don’t know, look somewhere else or do something else,” Mousasi said Wednesday on The MMA Hour.

“At this moment, I’m like, listen, if someone doesn’t want me, I’m like, ‘F*ck it. Let’s go.’ But my team around me is like, ‘F*ck it, we’ll sue them.’ If it was up to me, I would just go, but I don’t know. We’ll see. The team around me is not that happy. So I think there is going to be legal action against them.“

During a recent appearance on the Weighing In podcast with ‘Big’ John McCarthy and Josh Thomson, PFL founder Donn Davis disputed Mousasi’s claim, suggesting that while they plan to honor every Bellator contract, they can’t guarantee every fighter will get exactly what they’re asking for.

“Occasionally we’ll have a fighter grumble,” Davis said. “It’s one of 205 (fighters we acquired from Bellator). You expect five to 10 percent issues on any deal. You can’t be perfect. You can be 90 to 95 percent. We’ve had a handful of people say, ‘Oh, I wish it went this way, I wish it went that way.’ I’m delighted. I’m very, very proud of how we treated our fighters.

“How we treat our employees. Most of all, the product. We just completed our second (Bellator show) in Paris, which was awesome. We didn’t sit on this for six months. We didn’t take a year off. We didn’t lay off 100 fighters. All the stuff that always happens in all acquisitions. So I just could not be more proud.

“I’ll say two things: One, what I’m super proud of is the market, and anyone you talk to – fighters, business partners, media, mangers – we’re direct, fair and reasonable. 100 percent. That’s my 35 years in business. That’s the culture we’ve built here. So I will say, without commenting out of respect on individual negotiations and specifics situations – we’re direct, fair and reasonable with everybody that we deal with.

“Will everybody’s contract be honored? Of course. Do some people have different ideas of what works and what doesn’t work? Sure. But we’re fair and reasonable with everybody. Will all 205 fighters (from Bellator) have everything fall the way they want? No.”

Mousasi Released From PFL Amid Contract Dispute

Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Gegard Mousasi’s saga with Professional Fighters League (PFL) ended before it even began.
PFL announced today that the former Bellator Middleweight champion, Mousas…

MMA: OCT 19 Bellator 185 - Weigh-In — Photo by Williams Paul/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Gegard Mousasi’s saga with Professional Fighters League (PFL) ended before it even began.

PFL announced today that the former Bellator Middleweight champion, Mousasi, has been released from contract after recently speaking out about his contract issues.

“Bellator has released Gegard Mousasi from his agreement. We wish him all the best in his next fighting chapter,” Mike Kogan, head of fighter operations, said in a statement released by the organization.

Mousasi, 38, provided an update on his situation yesterday (Weds., May 22, 2024). Previously stating how the promotion refused to talk to him, Mousasi expressed he was willing to pursue legal action to resolve his situation. Mousasi has stated that the promotion didn’t want to pay him what he was promised to fight in his Bellator contract that carried over through the merger late last year. Ultimately, Mousasi believes the excuse is being made by PFL regarding him signing a new deal during the Bellator acquisition.

The 60-fight (49-9-2) legend’s team released the following comments on the matter.

“We will not comment on the merits of the alleged release at this time for obvious reasons,” Mousasi’s manager, Nima Safapour, founder of Moments Sports Consultancy, told MMA Fighting in a statement. “However, we believe there is a greater lesson here that our community should pay close attention to. For an organization that repeatedly claims to be ‘fighter first,’ we now truly see how PFL treats their fighters, especially their legends.”

PFL Founder, Donn Davis, was recently asked about Mousasi and other fighters having their issues with the acquisition, including another former champion, Douglas Lima, and Sabah Homasi, who was released like Mousasi. In response to Mousasi’s situation before today’s news, the PFL frontman said the following.

“Occasionally we’ll have a fighter grumble,” Davis said on WEIGHING IN (h/t MMA Junkie). “It’s one of 205 (fighters acquired from Bellator). You expect five to 10 percent issues on any deal. You can’t be perfect. You can be 90 to 95 percent. We’ve had a handful of people say, ‘Oh, I wish it went this way, I wish it went that way.’ I’m delighted. I’m very, very proud of how we treated our fighters. How we treat our employees. Most of all, the product. We just completed our second [Bellator show] in Paris, which was awesome. We didn’t sit on this for six months. We didn’t take a year off. We didn’t lay off 100 fighters. All the stuff that always happens in all acquisitions. So I just could not be more proud.

“I’ll say two things: One, what I’m super proud of is the market, and anyone you talk to — fighters, business partners, media, managers — we’re direct, fair, and reasonable,” he continued. “100 percent. That’s my 35 years in business. That’s the culture we’ve built here. So I will say, without commenting out of respect on individual negotiations and specific situations – we’re direct, fair, and reasonable with everybody that we deal with. Will everybody’s contract be honored? Of course. Do some people have different ideas of what works and what doesn’t work? Sure. But we’re fair and reasonable with everybody. Will all 205 fighters [from Bellator] have everything fall the way they want? No.”

Mousasi’s last fight came against Fabian Edwards when he lost a unanimous decision at Bellator 296 in May 2023.

Ex-UFC megastar Ronda Rousey reveals what it feels like to break someone’s arm: ‘It kind of grosses me out’

Despite being known as the queen of the armbar during her historic MMA run, Ronda Rousey was never particularly…

Despite being known as the queen of the armbar during her historic MMA run, Ronda Rousey was never particularly fond of the damage it would do to people. In fact, she was kind of grossed out by it.

Even before making her first appearance inside the Octagon at UFC 157, ‘Rowdy’ was already well-known for snapping limbs in a matter of seconds. Under the Strikeforce banner, it took her less than two minutes to collectively tap out Sarah D’Alelio, Julia Budd, and Sarah Kaufman.

She also submitted Miesha Tate in Strikeforce two years before repeating the performance in a slightly more competitive rematch.

However, in a recently resurfaced interview with MiddleEasy five months before her UFC debut, Rousey revealed that she found nothing satisfying about hurting her opponents with the devastating maneuver.

“I don’t think it’s satisfying,” Rousey said. “It kind of grosses me out. I tell everybody, it kind of feels like tearing apart a turkey with a crotch. It really does. It’s gross. When you’re trying to get a turkey thing off and you feel all the cartilage and the tendons and the bones coming off, when you’re pulling it, it really is that exact feeling.

“It’s gross. But that’s the way it is. They’d try to do the exact same thing to me. I’ve felt it being done to my own arms” (h/t talkSPORT).

Ronda Rousey went 6-0 with six first-round finishes, all by armbar, before being declared the UFC’s first-ever female world champion. But of those six women who fell, Julia Budd undoubtedly suffered the most. Squaring off at Strikeforce Challengers 20 in November 2011, Rousey recalled dislocated Budd’s elbow a mere 39 seconds into the scrap.

“I totally felt it go out. The referee said I couldn’t talk to her. So, I was like, ‘Alright, that’s totally out,’” Rousey said at the time. “I flipped her over and I was like, ‘Ew!’ I didn’t want to take my arm and point at it but I was like, ‘Uh, somebody stop this please.’”

Ronda Rousey despises being called a ‘one-trick pony’

Rousey added two more armbar submission victories to her resume during her first two appearances with the UFC, prompting some fight fans to dub her a one-trick pony.

“When people say that I’m a one-trick pony and only have the one armbar, they don’t realize that I have so many setups to that armbar that I don’t even know them all – I’ll make them up on the fly,” Rousey said in an interview with the UFC following her debut.

“When you’re watching boxing and you see somebody knock someone out with a right hand every time, they’re not like, ‘Oh, they’re a one-trick pony.’ No, they have a billion different setups for that right hand. And just because it ended with a right hand on the face, it doesn’t mean it’s the same thing every time.

“And just because so many people are unfamiliar with grappling and they just see the armbar ending the same, they assume the setup’s the same, but if you look back at all those fights, I’ve jumped into that armbar from many different positions. It ends the same way, but the setups are always different. So they can prepare for a certain setup, but I’m always gonna think of more.”

Ronda Rousey wrapped up her career in 2016, winning the Strikeforce and UFC bantamweight titles and going 12-2 along the way. Every one of her dozen victories came via finish with nine armbars and three TKOs.