Kai Asakura vs Kyoji Horiguchi Betting Preview (⭐RIZIN 26⭐ – Saitama)
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With COVID-19 still raging around the world, you might have to stay at home on New Year’s Day. The good news is that the Japanese MMA promotion has decided to kick the ass of boredom on December 31, with the RIZIN 26 event in Saitama, in which we’ll see the Kai Asakura vs Kyoji Horiguchi title fight.
The fight for the RIZIN Bantamweight title is going to be the first time Kyoji Horiguchi is fighting after his knee surgery, which forced him to give away two championship belts (RIZIN and Bellator MMA). The last time he was in the cage was in August 2019, when he suffered his first defeat of the career. Guess who was the man to inflict Horiguchi’s first-ever defeat? No other than Kai Asakura.
Almost a year and a half after the first Kai Asakura vs Kyoji Horiguchi fight, the two will meet again. This time the former UFC fighter is 100% fit and ready to give his utmost. He’s also very motivated to beat Asakura. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold. And a side dish is the RIZIN Bantamweight Championship belt.
Kai Asakura vs Kyoji Horiguchi Fight Info
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Date: Thursday, December 31
Time: ~11:00 am (Eastern Daily Time)
Place: Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan
Stream: RIZIN LIVE
Asakura vs Horiguchi Tale of the Tape
| Kai Asakura | Fighter | Kyoji Haraguchi |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | Age | 30 |
| 16-2 | Pro MMA Record | 28-3 |
| 8-1 | RIZIN Record | 9-2 |
| Sumo, Zendokai | Foundation Style | Karate |
| 5’8″ (172cm) | Height | 5’5″ (165cm) |
| Win vs. Shoji Maruyama (09/27/20) | Previous Fight | Loss to Kai Asakura (08/18/19) |
Kai Asakura vs Kyoji Horiguchi Preview
Asakura Wants to Keep His RIZIN Championship Belt
Kai Asakura is the current owner of the RIZIN Bantamweight Championship belt. He got ahold of it this summer after beating Hiromasa Ougikubo with soccer kicks. Previously, he tried to win the title against Manel Kape, the man whom Asakura beat on his RIZIN debut in 2017. The title fight with Kape saw Asakura suffering his first RIZIN (and so far his only) defeat.
Since winning against Ougikubo, he started focusing more on his YouTube career than on MMA fighting. Over the last 12 months, he’s made a number of videos, turning himself into a famous YouTuber in Japan, with his videos accumulating several hundred million views in total.
Despite doing the job of a YouTuber, he did take part in another fight this year. In fact, the fight happened this September, when he and Shoji Maruyama went toe to toe in a non-title bout. Asakura won by soccer kicks.
Impressive portfolio, no doubt about it, however, none of Asakura’s opponents mentioned above are anywhere near Kyoji Horiguchi. Still, the fact is that Asakura did manage to beat him once already. It happened in summer 2019 in a not-title bout.
Kyoji Horiguchi Wants His Revenge
Horiguchi’s most recent fight saw him losing to Asakura. However, you should know that at the time of the first Asakura vs Horiguchi fight, he was having serious problems with his knee.
In fact, after losing to Asakura, Horiguchi underwent a surgery, which meant that he had to forfeit his championship belts – the RIZIN Bantamweight and the Bellator MMA Bantamweight belt.
Yes, you’re read correctly, this guy was the champion in Bellator MMA, which, to be frank, is a much tougher competition than RIZIN. If this fact has made you impressed by Kyoji Horiguchi, you should also know that he used to fight in the UFC in the past.
Actually, he got very close to winning the UFC Flyweight Championship in 2015, but Demetrious Johnson won the title bout by submission (armbar).
Obviously, Horiguchi is a fighter with a lot of talent and ability, but who seems to be lacking luck. On the bright side, he’s still only 30 and there are plenty of chances for him to shine. If he manages to reclaim the RIZIN Bantamweight title, who knows what expects him in the future. The big question is can he reclaim it?
Asakura vs Horiguchi Betting Tips
Kai Asakura is the champion, but this doesn’t mean he actually is the best fighter in the division. In my opinion, RIZIN’s best Bantamweight fighter is Kyoji Horiguchi. He’d probably still have the championship belt in his possession if it weren’t for the injury that has kept him sidelined for 15 months.
But, he’s back! And he’s been missing MMA fighting, which is why you can expect him to do his best on New Year’s Day. What that means is that our betting pick for this fight is Horiguchi.
We think he’s very, very likely to win the Asakura vs Horiguchi fight, but what about the Method of Victory. If that’s the MMA prop bet you’re after, we say go for a KO. Asakura won by KO in their previous fight, but this time, it should be the other way around.