Martial Arts News

Kyoji Horiguchi is headed back to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Advertisement

The Japanese standout announced during Rizin 50 on Sunday that he is vacating his Rizin Fighting Federation flyweight belt to sign with the Las Vegas-based promotion, where he previously fought from 2013 to 2016. A date for Horiguchi’s UFC return was not revealed.

“I’m going to the UFC,” Horiguchi said. “I’m going to become the first Japanese UFC champion.”

🚨 2 BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS! 🚨

1️⃣ RIZIN Flyweight Champion, Kyoji Horiguchi, will vacate the title and go to the UFC.

(continued) pic.twitter.com/irhoyQZmmQ

— RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) March 30, 2025

Horiguchi went 7-1 during his UFC tenure, with his only loss coming in a flyweight title bout against then champion Demetrious Johnson in April 2015. The 34-year-old American Top Team representative has gone 14-1 with one no contest under the Rizin banner, earning notable victories over the …

AND STILL!

A close fight, but Naoki Inoue is still your RIZIN Bantamweight Champion!

Advertisement

[ #RIZIN50 | https://t.co/SJYljaZ7L1 ] pic.twitter.com/HTu2J2B7pE — RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) March 30, 2025

Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion Naoki Inoue retained his title with a hard-fought victory against a familiar foe tonight in the main event of Rizin 50 in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan. Inoue weathered a shaky final round and earned a split-decision win against challenger Yuki Motoya in a rematch from December 2020.

Inoue (19-4, 9-2 Rizin) needed only three minutes to submit Motoya (37-12, 1 NC; 12-8, 1 NC Rizin) when the pair first faced off at Rizin 26, but he had a much tougher fight on his hands against the veteran on Sunday. The first round was a good one for Inoue, who established his jab right away and used it to set up straight right hands that stifled Motoya’s movement and offense. Motoya took Inoue down with …

Ilia Topuria claims the UFC has promised him a title fight next.

Advertisement

Topuria won the featherweight title by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 last year and defended it with a knockout over Max Holloway at UFC 308. “La Layenda” has since been contemplating a move to lightweight, which came to fruition last month.

While Topuria vacated his featherweight strap, his next matchup at lightweight is yet to be announced. Although the undefeated superstar has already proclaimed himself the lightweight king, champ Islam Makhachev is loathe to give him an immediate title shot. Even former champ and perennial contender Charles Oliveira is unwilling to fight Topuria before he proves himself at 155 pounds.

However, Topuria claims to have been promised a title fight next when he vacated his 145-pound belt.

“I’m not entirely sure what my next fight will be,” Topuria said during a recent press conference. “The only thing I’m sure of is that the…

[embedded content]

Sean Brady isn’t even amused by the idea of a matchup against Colby Covington.

Advertisement

Brady submitted former champ Leon Edwards in the main event at UFC London earlier this month. Covington subsequently called Brady an easy matchup, offering to derail his hype train. However, Brady seemingly isn’t even taking “Chaos” seriously. The Philadelphia native dismissed the idea of a matchup against Covington, claiming he would “kill” the former interim champ. Brady noted that he recently dominated “Rocky,” who has already beat Covington.

“Leon’s took you down multiple times. Beat the s—t out of you,” Brady said on the Brady Bagz Show. “Did you see what I just did to Leon? What would I do to you bro? I would f---ing kill him. He’s not even getting anyone in the Top 15. He might not even have a f---ing job. When was the last time that you won a fight? You f---ing suck. Colby you’re a p---y. How you get punched on by [Jorge] Masvidal in public and …

Manuel Torres didn’t waste time in the UFC Mexico co-main event.

Advertisement

The Entram Gym product secured a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” award for his first-round stoppage of Drew Dober in their lightweight showdown. Torres dropped Dober with a one-two and then sealed his victory with about 15 unanswered hammerfists to the side of the head as his opponent clinged to his leg. The official time of the stoppage came 1:45 into Round 1.

Elsewhere, Edgar Chairez pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” payment for a submission of C.J. Vergara in a featured flyweight matchup. Chairez set the stage for the finish by dropping his adversary with a left hook and follow-up blows. From there, he worked his way to the back, locked in a face crank and forced a tapout at the 2:30 mark of the opening period.

Earlier, David Martinez had a debut to remember, scoring a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” check for a finish of Saimon Oliveira in a main-card banta…

Brandon Moreno rose to the occasion yet again.

The two-time Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight titleholder moved forward in his quest to reclaim the 125-pound throne with a five-round unanimous decision over Steve Erceg in the UFC on ESPN 64 headliner on Saturday at CDMX Arena in Mexico City. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it the same: 49-46 for Moreno (23-8-2, 11-5-2 UFC), who has posted three straight wins since his controversial Feb. 24 loss to Brandon Royval.

Advertisement

Erceg (12-4, 3-3 UFC) excelled in spurts, especially with his calling-card jab and sneaky front kicks to the body. However, he could not match Moreno’s aggression. The Fortis MMA star thumped Erceg repeatedly with overhand rights, worked his weapons to all levels and even mixed in strategic takedowns in the fourth and fifth rounds. While it was far from the comprehensive performance for which Moreno has become known, it was enough to get him past the game Aussie. Read more

Sherdog's live UFC Mexico coverage will begin Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. The event is also known as UFC on ESPN 64. BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Mederos (-192), Hubbard (+160)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:

Advertisement

Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round: The Official Result BETTING PREVIEW | SCOUTING REPORT | ODDS: Emmers (-340), Miranda (+270)Round 1 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 2 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:Round 3 Sherdog Scores Jay Pettry scores the round:Tyler Treese scores the round:Brian Knapp scores the round:The Official Result BETTING …

Even the toughest men have their limits.

Manchester Top Team prospect Ateba Abega Gautier found the off switch on Jose Medina and announced his arrival in the Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight division, as he felled the durable Bolivian with a knee strike in the first round of their featured UFC on ESPN 64 prelim on Saturday at CDMX Arena in Mexico City. Stopped by knockout for the first time in his 16-fight career, Medina (11-5, 0-2 UFC) met his end 3:32 into Round 1.

Gautier (7-1, 1-0 UFC) took his time and waited for an opening to present itself. He stunned Medina with a thudding left hook, pressed him backward with follow-up punches, closed the distance and brought the knee up the middle. Down went Medina. One look at the dazed Dana White’s Contender Series graduate was enough for referee Raul Porrata to intervene on his behalf.

The 22-year-old Gautier has won six fights in a row, all of them finishes.

Meanwhile, Chute Boxe rep Melquizael Costa o…

The UFC 314 main card has taken a hit, as a welterweight bout pitting Geoff Neal against Carlos Prates has been removed from the lineup.

Advertisement

It was announced during the UFC Mexico broadcast on Saturday that Neal was forced to withdraw from the event due to injury. Prates will not remain on the card against a replacement opponent, but UFC commentator Jon Anik indicated that there could be big news involving the rising Brazilian star in the weeks to come.

UFC 314 takes place on April 12 at the Kaseya Center in Miami and is headlined by a featherweight championship fight pitting Alexander Volkanovski against Diego Lopes. It is currently unclear what will replace Neal vs. Prates on the main card.

Neal snapped a two-bout skid in his last outing, when he defeated Rafael dos Anjos via first-round TKO at UFC 308 this past October. “Handz of Steel” is 8-4 during his promotional tenure.

Prates has emerged as a person of interest at 170 pounds after w…

Guadalajara, aquí vamos! 🇲🇽#UFC320 at Noche UFC presented by Bud Light on Saturday, September 13th!

Register your interest 👉 https://t.co/6FMnUziUQL pic.twitter.com/LwomeKpU82

— UFC (@ufc) March 30, 2025

Advertisement

For the first time since its inception, Noche UFC will be heading to Mexico.

The promotion announced on Saturday that the third iteration of its celebration of Mexican Independence Day will take place in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sept. 13. The first two editions took place in Las Vegas.

No bouts were announced for the event, but it is likely to feature a number of fighters from Mexico and other Latin American countries. According to Las Vegas-based organization, the upcoming Noche UFC will also be known as UFC 320 — likely a pay-per-view offering.

The first Noche UFC event — which was also known as UFC Fight Night 227 — took place on Sept. 16, 2023, and saw Valentina Shevchenko and Alex Grasso battle to a spli…

[embedded content]

The Rizin 50 main event is official, as both Naoki Inoue and Yuki Motoya hit their contracted marks ahead of their bantamweight championship bout on Sunday.

Advertisement

Inoue tipped the scales at 134.3 pounds, while Motoya checked in at 134.2 for the headlining clash. Rizin 50 takes place at Anabuki Arena Kagawa in Kagawa, Japan and is available for free via Rizin.TV.

Elsewhere, Spike Carlyle (160.9) missed weight for his lightweight bout against Takeshi Izumi (156.5). As a result, if Carlyle wins or the bout ends in a draw, the official result will be recorded as a no contest. Additionally, the fight will begin with a point deduction for Carlyle and he will forfeit 50% of his purse.

Inoue initially bested Motoya via first-round submission at Rizin 26 in December 2020. The 27-year-old Kill Cliff FC representative is coming off a 2-0 campaign in 2024 that saw him claim the vacant 135-pound throne with a first-round stoppage of Soo Chul K…

A proposed middleweight clash between Joe Pyfer and Kelvin Gastelum won’t be happening at UFC Mexico on Saturday as originally anticipated.

Advertisement

A few hours before the card, the Las Vegas-based promotion announced that the bout was canceled due to Pyfer coming down with an undisclosed illness. It is unclear if the fight will be rebooked at a later date.

"Just wanna say my heart is broken. I couldn't fight today. I got super sick and hopefully we can reschedule this fight for a few weeks from now," Pyfer wrote on his Instagram Stories. "Unfortunately comes with the territory of traveling outside the States. Never again. My apologies guys. We'll be back."

UFC Mexico — also known as UFC on ESPN 64 — will proceed with 12 bouts. The card, which takes place at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, begins at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT and airs in its entirety on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Pyfer has been victorious in four of his five Octagon appearances and is coming off a fi…