Kyoji Horiguchi is aiming straight for a flyweight title shot as he prepares to rematch Manel Kape in the UFC Fight Night 279 headliner at Meta APEX.
Horiguchi and Kape will run it back in a 125-pound main event years after their first meeting, which took place under the RIZIN FF banner in Japan in December 2017 and ended with Horiguchi winning by third-round submission.
Looking ahead to the rematch, Horiguchi acknowledged Kape’s growth but made it clear he feels he has evolved just as much. "He's getting better everywhere," Horiguchi said. "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."
Horiguchi also laid out his intentions for the fight and what he believes comes next. "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," he said. "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," he added, before punctuating his plans with, "Soon."
Both Horiguchi, who holds an MMA record of 36-5 with a 9-1 mark in the UFC, and Kape, 22-7 with a 7-3 UFC record, are described as being close to a 125-pound title shot.
Elsewhere in the division, Joshua Van recorded his first title defense against Tatsuro Taira at UFC 328 in May, and a rematch with Alexandre Pantoja is indicated as likely next.
