Kyoji Horiguchi

Kyoji Horiguchi, known to fans as "Karate Kid," is a Japanese mixed martial artist who competes in the flyweight division of the UFC.

Born in Takasaki, Gunma, Horiguchi began his professional career in Japan's Shooto organization before signing with the UFC in 2013. He spent his formative years training under the late Norifumi Yamamoto at the well-regarded Krazy Bee gym, developing a style built on speed and precision, and later relocated his training base to American Top Team in Florida to sharpen his game against a deep, international room of training partners.

His resume includes a Shooto bantamweight championship won early in his career, a second-degree black belt in Shotokan Karate, and reigns as both RIZIN bantamweight champion and inaugural RIZIN flyweight champion. He also captured the Bellator bantamweight championship while still holding his RIZIN title, becoming one of the few fighters in the sport's history to hold major titles in two separate promotions at the same time.

Horiguchi's game is built on a karate-based striking foundation, blending sharp counters, explosive blitzes, and tight footwork with a wrestling and grappling base that lets him dictate range on the feet or take fights to the mat when needed.

After debuting in the UFC in 2013, Horiguchi climbed the flyweight ranks and earned a title opportunity against then-champion Demetrious Johnson at UFC 186 in 2015. He later returned to Japan, where he built his RIZIN

Stats last updated: August 09, 2026