Horiguchi

By FCF Staff

Not only will RIZIN 20 no longer feature Kyoji Horiguchi in action, the Japanese star has been forced to vacate the promotion’s bantamweight title after injuring his knee.

Recently RIZIN announced that Horiguchi will no longer fight Kai Asukra on December 31st, as the UFC vet recently underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL and meniscus in his knee. Horiguchi is expected to be sidelined for approximately 10 months.

In a statement from RIZIN, Horiguchi was quoted saying (quote via MMA Junkie):

“I am terribly sorry. I have injured myself and have just had surgery, and I am forced to withdraw from the Rizin 20 event.

“When I think about everybody who was looking forward to my fight on New Year’s Eve, I am lost in words and have an indescribable feeling of guilt for everybody. I am sorry. I am sorry to Kai Asakura, I am sorry to all the fans. I cannot describe how I feel in words.”

The 29-year-old Horiguchi (28-3) faced Asakura at RIZIN 18 in August and was stopped in the opening round. The fight was a non-title affair.

A new opponent for Asakura has yet to be confirmed.