5 possible opponents for Kyoji Horiguchi after his recent Bellator loss
Kyoji Horiguchi’s hopes of winning the Bellator bantamweight Grand Prix ended as he lost a unanimous decision to Patchy Mix. The loss extends his losing streak to two-straight, which is the first time he’s experienced that in his career.
Despite the elimination, Horiguchi is still the reigning RIZIN bantamweight champion. As such, he’ll likely return to Japan and defend the title at some point. However, his aspirations of becoming a two-promotion champion for the second time shouldn't be ruled out.
Horiguchi could still get back into title contention by defeating other top-ranked opponents. His performance against the current champion Sergio Pettis could earn him a rematch at some point should he remain champion.
‘The Typhoon’ is in a bit of a predicament. He could be better suited and have more success if he returns to flyweight. Since the promotion doesn’t have a 125lbs division, he could decide to wait for the right matchup to present itself.
This list will look at five opponents for Kyoji Horiguchi after his recent Bellator loss.
#5. Loser of Leandro Higo/Danny Sabatello - Bellator Grand Prix quarterfinal
s.Danny Sabatello comes away with a dominant win tonight at #Bellator278 and advances in the #BellatorBWGP!
Luckily, we had @JohnMcCarthyMMA on hand to keep track of The Italian Gangster's F 💣s.
We are LIVE on @SHOSports from The @BlaisdellCenter! https://t.co/oCmFebPGJk
Bellator could match up Horiguchi with a lower-ranked opponent to turn things around. Based on their upcoming schedule, it'd make sense if he fought the loser of Leandro Higo vs. Danny Sabatello.
Both Higo and Sabatello are ranked lower than the RIZIN bantamweight champion. With that in mind, the timing for a potential bout could work out if ‘The Typhoon’ takes time off. The Grand Prix bout takes place on June 24, so depending on the outcome, September could be a realistic timeframe.
‘The Italian Gangster’ looked impressive in his wildcard bout against Jornel Lugo. It was a dominant performance and he will look to continue that against Higo. He also gained a following due to his entertaining expletive-filled post-fight interview. It will be his toughest test to date and grappling will likely be the deciding factor.