Kyoji Horiguchi is handling his UFC Fight Night 279 main event loss to Manel Kape with grace.
Horiguchi (36-6 MMA, 9-2 UFC) was beaten for the first time since returning to the octagon for a second stint when he suffered a third-round TKO defeat to Kape (23-7 MMA, 8-3 UFC) on Saturday at Meta APEX in Las Vegas. It was a setback in his title hopes, but the Japanese fighter is taking it all in stride.
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After beating Kape by submission in their first meeting under the Rizin FF banner in December 2017, Horiguchi had a chance to make it 2-0 in their series and put his name at the forefront of the flyweight title conversation. Instead, it went the other way, and although disappointing, Horiguchi is already looking ahead.
“Well, I feel a bit down, but I guess I just accept that I lost,” Horiguchi said in his YouTube channel. “But what do you say? I guess it’s time for the next one. … I’ll be making a comeback, so please keep an eye out.”
Horiguchi had only experienced one defeat prior under the UFC banner, and that came in a title fight against Demetrious Johnson in April 2015. It’s a rare feeling for the American Top Team product, but Horiguchi has accepted what happened inside the octagon and is prepared to move forward.
“I got spectacularly knocked out,” Horiguchi wrote on X. “I’m truly sorry.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Kyoji Horiguchi: No excuses for UFC Vegas 119 loss to Manel Kape
