The UFC Flyweight division is hot right now.
Just days ago at UFC 331, Joshua Van cemented his rule atop the 125-pound roost with a violent decision win over former divisional kingpin Alexandre Pantoja. Van is expected to face Manel Kape in his next title defense, but otherwise, the division is wide open for any contenders looking to make a run at UFC gold.
Kyoji Horiguchi, a former UFC title challenger and RIZIN champion, can be counted among that list.
Per a first report from Leo Guimaraes, Horiguchi
has booked his return versus surging Kazakh contender, Asu Almabayev. The duo are now scheduled to face off on Nov. 21 at the still-developing UFC Qatar event. The card will be the promotion’s second visit to Qatar after last November’s Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker-led event.
It’s an important fight both in the careers of each man and for the Flyweight division as a whole. Horiguchi was looking incredible against Kape, picking apart and out-wrestling the knockout artist until one right-hand bomb changed everything. Prior to that defeat, Horiguchi had reestablished himself as a top contender by dominating Tagir Ulanbekov and Amir Albazi.
Almabayev, conversely, enters this fight off perhaps the best win of his UFC career, a remarkable Suloev Stretch over Charles Johnson at UFC Baku. He’s won three in a row since coming up short versus the aforementioned Kape in a controversial fight that featured several fouls. With seven wins in eight fights, Almabayev is close to earning his first UFC title shot.
Who leaves Doha with the victory?
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