Kyoji Horiguchi praised by ex-foe and teammate alike amid UFC resurgence

Kyoji Horiguchi is a well-traveled combatant and the ranked UFC flyweight, even previously threw down with the current BKFC welterweight champion. Dustin Pague is the gloveless titleholder in question, and Pague had a fight with Kyoji Horiguchi in MMA years back.

When asked for his thoughts on Horiguchi’s return to the UFC that has seen him reinserted into the flyweight contendership conversation in a big way, Dustin Pague said [via Bare Knuckle Bowker],

“That kid’s a; he’s a stud, man. He’s a tough little fighter. Yeah, my journey has been crazy. I mean, I fought some of the best fighters in the world. That TJ Dillashaw became champion. Like Din Thomas who had an awesome UFC career and fought tough guys in the UFC. Like it’s been a long journey and you know, a lot of great stories, a lot of great moments, a lot of things I would have done differently, too. But, you know, you live and you learn.”

“I truly believe that, you know, if I didn’t have the Lord’s hand in my life, who knows where I’d be. You know, I believe that he has blessed me. He’s guided my footsteps and really put the right people and just the right timing in my life for these great opportunities and these platforms I’ve been on. So, I always love to give God the glory for where I am today because without him, I don’t know where I’d be.”

Kyoji Horiguchi “has showed me some tricks” to “bash their f***ing head in” per ATT teammate and current Rizin champion

Kyoji Horiguchi has a strong history with American Top Team, and the former Rizin bantamweight champion continues to shape the path of the current RFF 135-pound titleholder. Picking the brain of Horiguchi, who clearly has a nuanced and well-informed familiarity within that Rizin rule set, and when delving a bit into that advice from the ATT compatriot, Danny Sabatello stated [via Bowks Talking Bouts],

“Yeah, all the time specifically with Kyoji [Horiguchi] for sure because he’s understood those Rizin rules. We have another Japanese fighter from the UFC, Rinya [Nakamura] who’s also been in there. Then we have a lot of Rizin guys just in the promotion at American Top Team… But I’m always picking those guys’ brains. I’m picking everybody’s brains in the gym. You know, obviously I trash talk to my opponent and I talk trash to a lot of fans.”

But at the end of the day, when I’m inside the gym, I’m there to get better. Understand better techniques and skill sets. A guy like Kyoji is somebody that brings that to the table for me. You know, right when I started at American Top Team, he was one of my first friends that I had there. What better guy than to have the absolute superstar of Japan, Kyoji, helping me out? So, he’s always going to continue to help me out. But, you know, sometimes you just have to get in that ring and just kind of feel things out.”

“The best learner and the best person to give knowledge is experience. Now that I’ve had three fights in that Rizin ring, I feel like I’ve really understood the skill set and understand the in-n-outs of that ring. You know, obviously, it’s pretty different from the American promotions, but at the end of the day, it’s a f***in fight. I’m going in there to stomp this guy’s f***in head.”

“It just so happens that I’m able to do that while he’s on the ground, which makes me an even more entertaining fighter, which makes the fans even happier. You know, obviously when you get in these positions on the ground, you’re able to strike the guy from all different angles. It’s more fun for everybody.”

“Kyoji has showed me some tricks and a little bit techniques to use on the ground when somebody’s there and you could kind of bash their f***ing head in, specifically in the front headlock. You don’t have to just quickly go behind a guy and get to your positions. You can knee them in the f***in head, which is absolutely massive there.”

“But yeah, Kyoji and a lot of those guys over at American Top Team, since we have a plethora of them from Rizin, they’re always helping me. I’m always helping them. It’s just obviously leaving your ego at the door at that gym. Whenever you have these high level gyms, you leave your ego at the door and that’s what everybody does.”