Kyoji Horiguchi defends the RFF flyweight championship against Nkazimulo Zulu at Rizin Decade on December 31st.
Horiguchi appeared on Bowks Talking Bouts to discuss several subjects before the first defense of his Rizin 125-pound belt including: -this event celebrating ten years of Rizin and what it's like being part of this card
-wanting to showcase "true MMA" here and what that means to him
-being unbeaten across his past Rizin NYE bouts and if he has a favorite memory over a run that includes wins over names like Manel Kape, Darrion Caldwell (where he won the RFF bantamweight belt), and Kai Asakura
-fighting Kai Asakura two times, being a long-time training partner of UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja, and his thoughts on the Asakura vs. Pantoja title bout that took place in the headliner of UFC 310
-Pantoja referring to Horiguchi as one of the best sparring partners he has ever had and what the latter's experiences have been training w/ the former
-how he would have to change his training preparations if he ever happened to get a similar offer that Asakura got where he could return to the UFC for a Pantoja title bout and his sophomore crack at the UFC's 125-pound belt
-getting in that long-time work at American Top Team in the context of his thoughts on ATT teammate Arman Tsarukyan's lightweight title bid in a rematch with Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 that is coming up
-the last outing being a redemptive win vs. Sergio Pettis after previously being knocked out by Pettis to lose his Bellator bantamweight belt
-readying to fight the reigning EFC champion as part of Rizin's NYE card
-Zulu having a high finishing rate across his mixed martial arts victorie, having regrets about not finishing Pettis in the rematch, and if the style of Zulu could provide those sort of openings for Horiguchi to get the kind of satisfying finish inside the distance that he wants
-the comments that Dana White made about Rizin standout Seika Izawa being a perfect fit if the UFC were to ever kickoff an atomweight division
-thoughts on Alexandre Pantoja calling out Demetrious Johnson and thoughts on former opponent DJ retiring from MMA earlier this year
-at one point fighting for Bellator MMA and Rizin concurrently in the context of if there has been any dialogue with PFL since they acquired Bellator
-previously fighting Patchy Mix and thoughts on the Bellator bantamweight champ expressing frustrations not getting fights since the PFL acquisition
-having a prior win over Manel Kape, Kai Kara France campaigning for a flyweight title shot in the UFC, and who between these two fighters will get that next crack at the 125-pound gold in Horiguchi's estimation
-becoming the inaugural Rizin flyweight champion as well as the first multi-division RFF champion while also successfully proposing last NYE
-if he would ever get married in the ring for a Rizin New Year's Eve show
Dylan Bowker