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Want..more..Rena.
Sakakibara called him like Krazy Horse when the fight was first announced.He looks like him too
I'm just day dreaming but, if Manel Kape beats Ian McCall, Kyoji Horiguchi, and then wins the Rizin Tournament, he could be well on his way to fighting Demetrious Johnson soon.
McCall is going to pull out at the last minute... Joking aside, Kape is going to hurt him bad.Roughly translated notes of what was said at the press conference:
McCall: I was able to get out of my UFC contract. I took the RIZIN offer because I want to participate in the tournament. Horiguchi is a fighter that belongs in the UFC. I look forward to meeting him in the finals on NYE.
Kape: McCall is easy money. I finished Erson in a minute. I'll finish McCall in 3 minutes.
Taha: I wanted to fight McCall first, but I look forward to facing Otsuka.
Petshi: I wanted to fight Horiguchi first, but a fight with Ishiwatari is a fantastic opportunity.
Ishiwatari: I'd like to fight Horiguchi in the final.
Horiguchi: I want to fight McCall.
Sakakibara: Unsure of who Horiguchi's opponent is going to be at the moment. It could be Gabriel Oliveira, a Bellator representative or a BAMMA representative.
Great pairings.
I'm picking RENA vs. Maria as the final.
It kind of sucks Kawajiri isn't up there standing beside Horiguchi. That was there plan.
Rizin might be an opportunity for him to gain more populairity. They certainly treat him like a bigger deal there.What's sad is Horiguchi standing there at all. Hope he'll be back in the UFC eventuelly
Rizin might be an opportunity for him to gain more populairity. They certainly treat him like a bigger deal there.
Fighting at 135 gives Horiguchi pressure and career experience if the UFC shuts down 125. Since his 1st Rizin fight in April, his twitter follower count has doubled to 24k.I can completely understand his motives for wanting to fight there, but as a fan, I'm interested in watching quality fights. A move to Rizin might make Guchi more popular but it could also lead to his career stagnating as he doesn't get pressured as hard.
Fighting at 135 gives Horiguchi pressure and career experience if the UFC shuts down 125. Since his 1st Rizin fight in April, his twitter follower count has doubled to 24k.
Horiguchi is realistically too small for 135. See below. Even for this tournament he's going to be at a significant size disadvantage.
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Full Picture:
Well I couldn't find a proper side angle, but in the quarter finals Horiguchi was placed vs. a significantly bigger Hideo Tokoro, and than for the 2nd round was almost former lightweight Tatsuya Kawajiri.The slot capsules played in Horiguchi's favor because he was able to place himself on the Flyweight side of the GP.