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.