Kyoji Horiguchi has his next fight, and he broke the news himself. The former Rizin and Bellator champion confirmed on X that he’ll face flyweight contender Asu Almabaev at UFC Fight Night in Qatar on Saturday, November 21, local time.
The announcement came in two posts. In the first, Horiguchi told fans the wait was over, named Almabaev as his opponent, and said he was looking forward to sharing the cage with him. On Friday, October 9, he followed up by posting the official card graphic and thanking his supporters, adding that he’d love for them to watch live. For fans in Japan, the bout lands on Sunday, November 22. He signed off both posts the same way, with “やったります,” which roughly means he’s going to get it done.
The detail Horiguchi seemed most tickled by is the calendar. He pointed out that this fight comes exactly one year after his return bout, and that he’s going back to Qatar to do it again. Same country, same time of year, a much more dangerous name across the cage.
View post on X
The blitz question
Horiguchi’s style has been getting picked apart online lately. A thread posted to r/MMA on October 7 asked why so many Japanese fighters show little head movement, and the original poster called Horiguchi probably the most skilled Japanese fighter ever. That same poster argued he’s quite open when he throws his karate blitz, and that his speed usually bails him out. According to that thread, the times it hasn’t came against Kyoji’s past opponents Kape, Kai Asakura and Sergio Pettis. The same post noted Horiguchi knocked out Asakura in Rizin, which tells you the trade-off cuts both ways: the entry that leaves him exposed is also the entry that ends people.
That thread was a fan’s opinion, and plenty of fans would push back on parts of it. But it captures what the matchup will test. Horiguchi wins by getting in and out before the other guy can answer. Almabaev arrives as one of the flyweights pushing toward the top of the division, which means this is a guy who has earned the chance to answer.
Neither post from Horiguchi gave any hint about rounds or where the bout sits on the Qatar card, and the UFC hadn’t put out further details in the sources available at publication.
Quick take
I love this booking. A year back in the building, and instead of easing him along with another soft landing, the matchmakers handed Horiguchi a contender with real momentum. If the karate blitz is still as fast as it was in his Rizin prime, Almabaev is going to spend the first round reaching at air. If it’s even a half step slower, we find out in Qatar. Either way, November 21 just became the fight on that card I’d set an alarm for.
