Kyoji Horiguchi Triumphs Over Nkazimulo Zulu in Thrilling Flyweight Title Fight: RIZIN 49 Highlights
Former UFC and Bellator star Kyoji Horiguchi retained his flyweight title at RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve spectacular inside the Saitama Super Arena on Tuesday.
Coming off a big win over Sergio Pettis in June, ‘The Typhoon’ extended his unbeaten streak to five with an impressive performance against South African sensation Nkazimulo Zulu in the RIZIN 49: Decade co-main event.
Things got off to a fast and furious start in the evening’s penultimate bout with both fighters landing late knockdowns in the opening round. The action kept coming in the second with Horiguchi wasting no time putting Zulu on his back and grinding out a few minutes on the mat before the referee stood them up. Back on their feet, Zulu caught Horiguchi with a perfectly timed uppercut that sent the Japanese fan favorite reeling with less than a minute to go in the round.
Taking no chances, Horiguchi returned Zulu to the mat in the third and delivered a steady supply of ground-and-pound strikes from half-guard. The referee moved in close, appearing ready to stop the bout, but Zulu did just enough to mitigate the damage and make it to the final bell.
Official Result: Kyoji Horiguchi def. Nkazimulo Zulu via unanimous decision to retain the RIZIN flyweight championship.
“Thank you to the fans who give me my power,” Horiguchi said in his post-fight interview. “I wanted to finish the fight and show my level. I’m going to work harder and come back stronger in 2025.”
With the win, Horiguchi moved to 34-5 in his mixed martial arts career. It was his first time defending the flyweight title since capturing the inaugural crown against Makoto Takahashi at last year’s NYE card.
