LAS VEGAS – Kyoji Horiguchi intends to show he’s still better than Manel Kape almost nine years after their first meeting.
Horiguchi (36-5 MMA, 9-1 UFC) will rematch Kape (22-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 279 headliner at Meta APEX (Paramount+) with some high stakes in the flyweight division. They first met under the RIZIN FF banner in Japan in December 2017, with Horiguchi winning by third-round submission.
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Nearly a decade later, both men find themself in the cusp of a 125-pound title shot. Only one can move forward to the belt, though, and Horiguchi intends to show it’s him.
“He’s getting better everywhere,” Horiguchi told MMA Junkie at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 279 media day. “It’s the same. Me too. I’m really better a lot, everywhere. Striking and jiu-jitsu and wrestling. I’m not scared about him.
“Of course I want to get big win and finish him. But fight is a fight. Sometimes it’s hard. I will get the win.”
After current champ Joshua Van logged his first defense against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in May, it appears a rematch with Alexandre Pantoja will be next. The title shot after that is up for grabs, though, and Horiguchi intends on proving to the world that it’ll be him.
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“First I will beat Kape, then next, I don’t know who is the champion at that time, but after that I will get the belt,” Horiguchi said. “Soon.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kyoji Horiguchi ‘not scared’ of Manel Kape in UFC Vegas 119 rematch
