Several years ago, Kyoji Horiguchi went basically straight from high school to the gym, where he began training with the Krazy Bees MMA team, soon finding himself under the wing of Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto, one of Japan's biggest MMA stars. In a few weeks' time, Horiguchi will get the chance of the lifetime, with one of Yamamoto's old opponents staring back at him from the other side of the Octagon.

Horiguchi has a shot at becoming the first Japanese to lay claim to a UFC belt when he faces world champion Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title at UFC 186 on April 25 in Montreal. The bout, which is a co-main event, was announced on Tuesday.

Horiguchi, a 24-year old from Gunma, last fought on Jan 3, beating Louis Gaudinot via unanimous decision at UFC 182. He used his quickness and explosiveness to his advantage in that bout, even as Gaudinot valiantly hung tough for all three rounds.

After having his hand raised in victory, Horiguchi was asked about the prospect of facing Johnson during his backstage interview.

"To face the champion, I need to go a few more steps," he said at that time. "I need to work harder and improve my skills."

Horiguchi has won nine fights in a row since losing a majority decision against Masakatsu Ueda at the Shooto: Survivor Tournament Final in 2012. He got one of the loudest ovations of the night when he was introduced at UFC Fight Night Japan on Sept. 20, 2014, and he didn't disappoint, scoring a first-round TKO of Jon Delos Reyes.

"Mighty Mouse" Johnson figures to be Horiguchi's toughest challenge yet.

Johnson (21-2-1 MMA, 9-1-1 UFC) became the inaugural UFC Flyweight champion at UFC 152 on September, 22, 2012, and has successfully defended the title five times. He's ranked third on UFC's official pound-for-pound rankings, behind only Jon Jones and Jose Aldo. He defeated Chris Cariaso via second-round submission in his last title fight on Sept. 27, 2014. The 28-year-old native of Madisonville, Kentucky, has been dominant lately, having beaten the fighters currently ranked first, second, fourth, sixth and ninth in the division (Horiguchi is eighth) over his last five bouts.

A win by Horiguchi could go a long way toward helping spur an MMA revival in Japan.

Japan was once the epicenter of the sport, but things haven't been the same since the demise of PRIDE and a few of the other promotions that once thrived in the country. UFC has been to trying to fill the void by hosting events in Japan featuring Japanese fighters, many of whom fought in PRIDE or K1, as well as foreign fighters already familiar to Japanese fans. Still, there is little that can compare to a homegrown champion at the highest level.

Yamamoto was one of the most popular, if not the most popular, Japanese fighters during his prime. He's seen Horiguchi's growth up close and in a Vice Japan special, released on the company's website in May of 2014, Yamamoto said of Horiguchi, "there's no doubt he'll get the championship belt at UFC."

Yamamoto lost a unanimous decision against Johnson, in the latter's UFC debut, on Feb. 5, 2011. If his protege can succeed where he failed, it could mean big things for both Horiguchi and the sport as a whole in Japan.

To do that, Horiguchi will have to face the undisputed king of the hill and knock the crown off his head in Montreal.