News Horiguchi to return to the UFC

[BabyBlue_Bomber]

 

[fortheo]

Kawajiri was always a little overrated imo, he couldn’t get pass elite competition when he was matched with them, Gomi I’ll agree. With Horiguchi he was always elite, in his run in the UFC he was young but still but yes his fight with Pettis, he did resort to a lot of ground control whenever he was getting tagged, but that could be Pettis just improved, fighters do improve and fighters do decline but he still looked good even in his past few bouts. He does seem to struggle with taller fighters like Mix & Caldwell.

I just don’t subscribe to the entire a fighter is out of prime or wash ordeal after a few losses that many on this site love to use. Years ago it was unthinkable MMA fighters could still be competitive post 35, no one gave Randy Couture a chance and he still captured gold at 40+, now fighters still doing great post 35+ at those weight classes are the norm when over decade ago it was take them to retirement home.

There is a high possibility fighters like Pantoja, Makhachev, Merab will still be competitive, fighting and winning post 35+. Volkanovski has a great chance at capturing gold, even though everyone has already wrote him off because of losses but it’s not like he’s losing to nobodies, he’s losing to champions. Fighters like Poirier, Gaethje were considered dead and are still trumping these young fighters showing their rankings at LW is apt at this point.

MMA is still fairly young but we have seen that these fighters and athletes are still competitive at later stages, even with how young the sport is.

is Horiguchi past his prime, maybe? maybe not. A lot of people are already writing him off, I’m to going wait for him to atleast have a few bouts back in the UFC before I jump to conclusion, because at this point everyone jumps to that conclusion easily nowadays.

I never said he was washed. He's still very good, I just think that it's clear that he's leaving his prime based off how he performs lately. You honestly think he has as good of a chance to win the UFC belt now as he would have had if he came back 5 years ago? if not, then you're on the same boat as me.

 

[volcom5]

Eh it's 3am here, cut me some slack.
But yeah I didn't mean that fighters that fight top contenders young fall off a cliff at 30. Like, Aldo is still great but he had slowed down a lot, at an age most fighters are not slowing down.

Welp, fair enough.

 

[volcom5]

I never said he was washed. He's still very good, I just think that it's clear that he's leaving his prime based off how he performs lately. You honestly think he has as good of a chance to win the UFC belt now as he would have had if he came back 5 years ago? if not, then you're on the same boat as me.

You and I both know, as we have been watching this sport long enough, that anything can happened. Capturing Gold in your 20’s is already difficult enough let alone in your 30’s especially later 30’s. But many things can happened, I gave Pereira minimal chance at capturing gold coming from kickboxing at 35yrs old, yet did at MW, then gets flatlined moves to another weight class where i gave him ZERO chance of capturing gold let alone defending multiple times but he does it, Bisping with one eye at 37 with the most underrated skills fighting Rockhold who was destroying everyone goes in their and does the damn thing. Does Horiguchi stand chance, fuck yes given the opportunity like every fighter does, but I will need to see how he fairs on his return for me to sway the odds of it. 5yrs he would struggle at BW, at FW, he would fare a better chance. I’m just going wait for his return bout to make judgements on how he’ll so moving forward.

 

[DrRodentia]

34 year old flyweight?

This move is 6 years too late. But UFC didn't want to pay to keep him in 2017, and then didn't want to pay to bring him back in 2019 after he won 9 straight in Rizin and got hype

Same age as the current dominant champ, but yeah, it's definitely late stages for him. I just wish he just never left. He would have stayed in the mix the whole time and potentially could have held the strap. I'll be cheering for him. Always been a big fan. If he actually did manage to become champ it would be absolutely legendary.

 

[DougieJones]

UFC now has more ex-Bellator fighters than PFL

 

[BowserJr]

What other Japanese fighters did the UFC signed after their primes? Fighters Hioki, Kanehara, Yamamoto, Asakura, were still in their primes when they got signed to the UFC. Horiguchi is the same age as Merab, and Pantoja and with close to as many MMA bouts as Pantoja.

They should’ve signed Horiguchi a few years ago and though, the thing is also, if Horiguchi stayed in the UFC he might’ve never entered his “prime” with the influx of top tier Bantamweights which is probably the weight class he would’ve been fighting as the UFC were close to getting rid of the FW division.

I think he’s one better fighters from Japan as he adapted to stateside rules and training out of ATT helped him a lot, I think he has a few years left. But they have to throw him against the best right away, they can’t pussy foot around expect to him to build a winstreak to get a title shot.

Yamamoto was way out of his prime

Genki was solid when he had his 2 foughts though. Uno was too in his first few fights.

Other than that everyone has been past prime

 

[Khaosan]

Let him beat up Kape again.

 

[Killer Kadoogan]

he's on the ever so slight downslide of his career. he can get hit, does slightly more often, and looks like the damage bothers him slightly more. i dont think this will be the return that we want it to be. he's still victorious, fast, has everything, but has eaten some his last few fights too. but besides that, he rizes to the occasion.

 

[CobraCobretti]

He got schooled by Pettis, Patchy Mix and Asakura and Pantoja showed Asakura that there are leves to this.

 

[Ares Black]

I assume when he said "japanese" he meant japanese people

That would make sense

 

[Ares Black]

Machida isn’t Japanese?

His father is Japanese, but he was born and raised in Brazil. He is a Brazilian with some Japanese heritage.

 

[Big Tuppy Hole]

Horiguchi is past his prime, unfortunately. It's very much like the UFC to pick up the best japanese guys after their prime was spent elsewhere. This one particularly hurts because they had horiguchi pre-prime, and now they're bringing him back as he's started to slow down and be more hittable. I have no doubt that if they had kept horiguchi, he would have held the UFC belt at one point, but with how horiguchi is now, at his age, I don't like his chances as much.

Still, they should have brought him in to an immediate title shot back in december instead of Kai.

It's the UFC model off picking up established stars after they peaked. 34 yearold FLW with a lot of mileage. Most probably has 2 years tops until he hits the skids

 

[volcom5]

Yamamoto was way out of his prime

Genki was solid when he had his 2 foughts though. Uno was too in his first few fights.

Other than that everyone has been past prime

How was Yamamoto “way out of his prime”? Based on what? Age? He was the same age as Merab is now and younger than Pantoja with less fights when he entered the UFC, because he was coming off losses? Is that why you consider him “way out of his prime”? Or is it because you already coupled him up into the group of PrideFC fighters who were out of their suddenly once they couldn’t win bouts in states? You’re making me shit on a fighters who i am big fan of in Norifumi.

Sudo went 2-1. Sudo had 3 fights not 2.

Uno went 3-3-1 in his first stint in the UFC, but he did lose his first 2 fights, his wins over Thomas & Edward’s is amazing at the time. His second stint, not sure why he came back, but it’s not like he was fighting young up and comers or was even considered close to stifle shot, he loss to fighters of his generation in Tibau and Fisher.

Hatsu Hioki entered the UFC at 34years of age! O wait edit that I mean at the out of prime age of 28. Finished a record of 3-5. He was younger than his first 6 opponents, went 3-3 until he fought Hooker and Oliviera who were younger than him, not out of his prime, he just wasn’t good enough.

Masoniri Kanehara, also entered the out of prime age of 31yrs old, wins against young up and comer Caceres, losses to Yayha a fighter of his generation and Michael McDonald. Who I thought it was going to be champion. Finished the record of 1-2.

Kai Asakura enters the UFC at the out of prime age 31, with 25 bouts and just loss to a in 34yr old in prime Pantoja who is 30+ bouts into his career.

How bout just admitting that these fighters just couldn’t cut it in the UFC instead relying to the good ole “they were out of their prime.” Excuse.

Just because you use that past their prime excuse for Fedor & Crocop to cope with the losses and likely possibility that maybe just maybe they were a tad bit overrated doesn’t mean you need to project that same excuse unto other international fighters who couldn’t cut it.

It isn’t hard to just admit that the better fighters beat them.

 

[TITS]

Extremely talented fighter and UFC is where he needs to be right now. But a lot of us on the Rizin forum have been questioning his chin. Despite beating Sergio Pettis and the likes, he kind of feels like he's on the downswing.

Sergio Pettis starched him though. I'd rather see Pettis back than Horiguchi.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Yamamoto was way out of his prime

Genki was solid when he had his 2 foughts though. Uno was too in his first few fights.

Other than that everyone has been past prime

Hioki wasn't past prime. He was ranked #2 by most outlets when he came over I think.

 

[Hellowhosthat]

Sergio Pettis starched him though. I'd rather see Pettis back than Horiguchi.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're trolling but Gucci was well up in that fight before the back fist and then beat Pettis in the rematch.

 

[TITS]

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're trolling but Gucci was well up in that fight before the back fist and then beat Pettis in the rematch.

Yeah, and he got obliterated by the first decent shot that landed on him. Horiguchi is a decision machine when he's not fighting cans.

 

[Pierced7681]

His father is Japanese, but he was born and raised in Brazil. He is a Brazilian with some Japanese heritage.

“Brazilian” is an ethnicity?

 

[volcom5]

Hioki wasn't past prime. He was ranked #2 by most outlets when he came over I think.

You’re replying to people who are selective with the “past their prime” trope when it comes attaching it to fighters. Sometimes logic goes out the window, It’s makes no sense, but it’s a convenient way for them to never admit that those fighters loss to better competition. Genius and sad at the same time.