Kyoji Horiguchi looked better than ever in his official return to the Octagon earlier today (Sat., Nov. 22, 2025) at UFC Qatar LIVE on ESPN+ from inside the ABHA Arena in Doha, Qatar, stunning flyweight
contender Tagir Ulanbekov with a dominant third-round submission (rear-naked choke).
Horiguchi, who has been one of the most well-rounded fighters competing outside of the UFC for the past decade, was returning to the Octagon for the first time since a decision win over Ali Bagautinov all the way back in Nov. 2016. His first stint with UFC ended with a 7-1 record. Horiguchi’s only loss was against Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title. He’s been cleaning up under the RIZIN banner ever since.
Ulanbekov was supposed to be a good test for Horiguchi in his UFC comeback, but he wasn’t able to do much of anything. That’s because Horiguchi was on top of his game form the opening bell, offering quick standup and elite grappling exchanges. Ulanbekov simply didn’t have an answers for Horiguchi’s offense and was fighting from behind the entire way.
Horiguchi’s efforts paid off in the third round after he landed a nasty head kick and some punches to put Ulanbekov down. From there, Horiguchi jumped on the back and sunk in the rear-naked choke to put Ulanbekov to sleep.
Check out the video highlights below and let us know if this victory already lines Horiguchi up for a potential title shot!
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