John Dodson calls for a Rizin FF bout with Kyoji Horiguchi: “I want to be the champion, and he has to be my stepping stone”

John Dodson, Kyoji HoriguchiJohn Dodson has his eyes set on hia next opponent following his impressive win at Rizin 40. Dodson, once a title contender in the UFC, wants to meet Kyoji Horiguchi of Japan for his next fight. Since Dodson and Horiguchi have both settled under the Rizin banner, the two crossing paths seems imminent. 38-year-old John […]

John Dodson, Kyoji Horiguchi

John Dodson has his eyes set on hia next opponent following his impressive win at Rizin 40.

Dodson, once a title contender in the UFC, wants to meet Kyoji Horiguchi of Japan for his next fight. Since Dodson and Horiguchi have both settled under the Rizin banner, the two crossing paths seems imminent.

38-year-old John Dodson left MMA fans in awe as he knocked out opponent Hideo Tokoro in just less than two minutes into their flyweight fight.  It was a scintillating knockout finish for the veteran Dodson, and following the fight, his eyes are dead set on Horiguchi next.

John Dodson on Waiting to Fight Horiguchi

Kyoji Horiguchi, a former Bellator and Rizin FF champion, has been rumored to be matched up with Dodson in the past, and Dodson believes now is the time to make it happen:

“I’ve been trying to fight Horiguchi for the last two years,” Dodson told reporters at the post-fight press conference.

 “When I got released from the UFC, they gave me Horiguchi as a future opponent coming into Rizin, but then the borders were shut down (due to the pandemic), and they wouldn’t let me come over here…” – (H/T MMA Junkie)

“Then he got signed to Bellator, so it’s been like a back-and-forth thing. I’ve been waiting for my opportunity to really test my abilities against the former champion of Rizin. I want to be the champion, and he has to be my stepping stone to become it.”

Kyoji Horiguchi is one of the most accomplished Japanese MMA fighters of all time. Going into a potential fight, Dodson recognizes that he probably won’t be the fan favorite. This fact doesn’t affect him at all, and Dodson embraces being the “villain”:

“I don’t care, I can be the villain of any story. But at the same time, I’m going to come out the hero.”

John Dodson’s recent knockout of Tokoro was his 2nd MMA victory of the year in just as many bouts. The 38-year-old veteran is 2-1 in MMA since leaving the UFC, and he looks for this potential fight with Horiguchi to continue his momentum. Will John Dodson get his desired matchup with the Japanese MMA legend Horiguchi? Fans will have to eagerly wait for fight news.

Bellator MMA Vs. RIZIN FF Results And Highlights: Bellator Sweeps RIZIN

Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN FF took place on New Year’s Eve at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, and MMA News has all of the results and highlights from the event! The two organizations have collaborated on events and shared fighters in the past, but …

Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN FF took place on New Year’s Eve at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan, and MMA News has all of the results and highlights from the event! The two organizations have collaborated on events and shared fighters in the past, but this was the first time they’ve co-promoted an event entirely…

Continue Reading Bellator MMA Vs. RIZIN FF Results And Highlights: Bellator Sweeps RIZIN at MMA News.

Kyoji Horiguchi on Bellator vs. Rizin super-fight: “I’m ready to show how I fight in front of the Japanese fans.”

Kyoji HoriguchiKyoji Horiguchi (30-5) is set to take on Hiromasa Oigikubo (25-6-2) in the flyweight feature bout at Bellator vs. Rizin on December 31st. The historic event will feature a crossover between the two promotions, taking place at none other than the famous Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Leading up to the fight, Horiguchi took […]

Kyoji Horiguchi

Kyoji Horiguchi (30-5) is set to take on Hiromasa Oigikubo (25-6-2) in the flyweight feature bout at Bellator vs. Rizin on December 31st.

The historic event will feature a crossover between the two promotions, taking place at none other than the famous Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan. Leading up to the fight, Horiguchi took the time to speak with Lowkick MMA’s Alex Lerman about what this fight means to him, how he sees himself getting his hand raised at the end, and his future regarding Bellator and Rizin.

On fighting in Japan in front of his home country and fans, Horiguchi said:

“I’m ready to show how I fight in front of the Japanese fans.”

Horiguchi trains at talent-filled, high-level gym American Top Team in South Florida and recently bought a house there in 2019. When asked about his favorite part about living in America so close to his gym, Horiguchi responded:

“Because (it’s) very convenient, and also Florida has good fishing spots. I love fishing… bass fishing, any fishing.”

Moving on to the highly anticipated bout, Horiguchi was asked about his expectations for the fight against Oigikubo. Kyoji continued:

“I want a finish, doesn’t matter submission or KO. I want to try to finish him… I’ve improved my skills a lot everywhere, and I can fight this fight everywhere.”

Kyoji Horiguchi on his future at either promotion

Kyoji Horiguchi has fought for both Bellator and Rizin over the course of his experienced career. Given the circumstances of this crossover event and his history, Kyoji was asked about what the future would hold regarding which promotion he would fight for. Horiguchi had a very insightful answer to this, stating:

“I have no idea right now, but I want to keep fighting for Bellator and Rizin because they have a good friendship, you know. Other promotions don’t have this.”

To conclude the conversation with Horiguchi, he was asked who he would like to see in the cage next as an opponent, given the result of this bout against Oigikubo does go Kyoji’s way. Horiguchi was quick to answer:

“I’m focused on this fight, but I want to rematch Sergio Pettis and Patchy Mix.”

The two Bellator stars Pettis and Mix remain on the mind of Horiguchi. But like Kyoji said, his focus is on getting a finish on December 31st vs. Hiromasa Oigikubo in Japan. This can’t-miss, historic crossover event between Bellator vs. Rizin will be an event that all combat sports fans should tune into. Watch for the Feature Flyweight Bout, as Kyoji Horiguchi looks to add another win to his impressive record.

Watch the full interview with Kyoji Horiguchi here:

Watch: Kyoji Horiguchi Submits Yuto Hokamura At RIZIN 38

Former Bellator bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi made a statement in his MMA return at Rizin 38 on Sunday against Yuto Hokamura. Horiguchi made his return to RIZIN following a nearly two-year hiatus while competing in Bellator. He fell short of re…

Former Bellator bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi made a statement in his MMA return at Rizin 38 on Sunday against Yuto Hokamura. Horiguchi made his return to RIZIN following a nearly two-year hiatus while competing in Bellator. He fell short of regaining the Bellator bantamweight title against Sergio Pettis before a unanimous decision loss to Patchy…

Continue Reading Watch: Kyoji Horiguchi Submits Yuto Hokamura At RIZIN 38 at MMA News.

Cyborg, Pettis & Horiguchi Return As Bellator Heads Back To Hawaii

Bellator MMA is set to return to Hawaii next month and will be bringing some blockbuster matchups with it to the islands. The promotion hasn’t headed to the off-the-mainland state since it held Bellator 235 and 236 on consecutive nights in 2019. Now, with a pandemic that shut down travel, sport, and large gatherings across…

Continue Reading Cyborg, Pettis & Horiguchi Return As Bellator Heads Back To Hawaii at MMA News.

Bellator MMA is set to return to Hawaii next month and will be bringing some blockbuster matchups with it to the islands.

The promotion hasn’t headed to the off-the-mainland state since it held Bellator 235 and 236 on consecutive nights in 2019. Now, with a pandemic that shut down travel, sport, and large gatherings across the world beginning to die down, the mixed martial arts spotlight is set to return to Hawaii.

As first reported by KHON2, Bellator will once again be putting on two events on back-to-back dates. As well as hosting Bellator 278 on April 22, the Neal S. Blaisdell Center will see Bellator 279 go down the very next night.

While there’s yet to be any fights added to the opening night, Bellator 279 is already shaping up to be a must-watch card. With multiple title fights set to go down, two of Bellator’s top champions will return to action.

Cris Cyborg (25-2), a former Strikeforce, Invicta FC, and UFC featherweight titleholder, is set to make the fourth defense of her 145-pound Bellator gold. Her latest victory saw her overcome Sinead Kavanagh at UFC 271.

Challenging her in Honolulu will be familiar foe Arlene Blencowe (15-8). Since falling short of dethroning Cyborg in 2020, the Australian 38-year-old has won back-to-back contests against Dayana Silva and Pam Sorensen, earning herself a second crack at the belt.

Elsewhere, as part of the $1 million Bantamweight Grand Prix, Sergio Pettis (22-5) will put his 135-pound title on the line against Raufeon Stots (17-1). Since leaving the UFC for Bellator in 2019, “The Phenom” has built a four-fight win streak that includes a championship crowning versus Juan Archuleta and a successful defense and knockout of the year contender against the great Kyoji Horiguchi.

Like Pettis, Stots has remained unbeaten on the Bellator stage. In five appearances, “Supa” has extended his MMA win streak to nine and defeated the likes of Magomed Magomedov and Josh Hill. In 18 career fights, Stots’ one defeat came at the hands of top-10 UFC bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili.

In another notable bout, Horiguchi (29-4) will make his third appearance in the Bellator cage against Patchy Mix (15-1). That clash will mark another first-round Grand Prix context. Elsewhere, Hawaii’s Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-1) will square off against Justine Kish (7-5).

The currently announced Bellator 279 card (main card set for 9:30 p.m. ET) is as follows:

Sergio Pettis vs. Raufeon Stots – Bantamweight title bout

Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe – Featherweight title bout

Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Patchy Mix – Bantamweight bout

Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Justine Kish – Flyweight bout

Fights for Bellator 278 (main card set for 9 p.m. ET) are yet to be announced.

Are you excited for Bellator’s return to Hawaii next month?

Continue Reading Cyborg, Pettis & Horiguchi Return As Bellator Heads Back To Hawaii at MMA News.

Sergio Pettis KOs Kyoji Horiguchi – Bellator 272 Highlights

Sergio PettisBellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis defends his title for the first time against a former titleholder, Kyoji Horiguchi. Let’s see how it plays out. Round 1 begins and Horiguchi is the more active fighter in the opening minutes. He’s using his speed and movement on the feet to dictate the range, and Pettis seems a […]

Sergio Pettis

Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis defends his title for the first time against a former titleholder, Kyoji Horiguchi.

Let’s see how it plays out.

Round 1 begins and Horiguchi is the more active fighter in the opening minutes. He’s using his speed and movement on the feet to dictate the range, and Pettis seems a bit tentative with his combinations. Horiguchi nearly gets a takedown, but Pettis is able to scramble out of it and work back up to the feet. At the end of the round, Horiguchi lands a couple of nasty body kicks to Pettis’ solar plexus.

Round 2 opens up with Horiguchi continuing to push the pace on Pettis and ends up getting the fight to the ground. After landing some hard ground-and-pound from the top mount, Pettis lands a hard up-kick that opens up a cut underneath Horiguchi’s eye. Despite the kick, Horiguchi is able to resume position and control the fight on the ground.

Pettis begins to find his rhythm in Round 3 with some stiff leg kicks. But, Horiguchi’s speed is still an issue that Pettis is having problems dealing with. Horiguchi transitions beautifully from a right uppercut into a takedown near the fence and keeps up his high volume.

In Round 4, Horiguchi comes forward like a freight train and lands another hard takedown on Pettis. But, Pettis miraculously finds a second wind and lands some hard punches to the body as the fight moves back to the feet. Pettis counters a clinch attempt from Horiguchi and lands a nasty spinning back fist that knocks Horiguchi out cold to retain the bantamweight throne.

Check out the highlights from Pettis’ incredible win over Horiguchi.