Kyoji Horiguchi Relinquishes Bellator Bantamweight Title Due To Injury

Kyoji Horiguchi has been forced to relinquish another championship due to injury.

Earlier this month it was announced that Horiguchi was forced to withdraw from the main event of one of the Bellator MMA and RIZIN FF’s New Year’s Eve cards in December due to an injury. Horiguchi apparently suffered a torn ACL, as well as damaged his meniscus in his right knee. He underwent successful surgery to repair the issue. However, he was also forced to relinquish the RIZIN bantamweight championship as a result.

Now, Bellator officials have confirmed that Horiguchi has also dropped their bantamweight title as well in the wake of the injury. Bellator MMA president Scott Coker commented on the news, promising Horiguchi a title shot once he’s healthy enough to return.

“I feel terrible for Kyoji [Horiguchi] about the injury he suffered to his knee, but in the true spirit of martial arts and being a true champion, he has elected to vacate his title and allow the division to move forward in his absence,” Bellator President Scott Coker said. “After fully healing, we plan to give Kyoji an immediate title shot.”

Bellator has also noted they’re working on booking a fight for the vacant bantamweight title in the coming months.

What do you make of Horiguchi opting to relinquish the bantamweight title?