Kyoji Horiguchi Says He (Not Sergio Pettis) Is The Real Bellator Bantamweight Champion

Kyoji Horiguchi will attempt to dethrone current Bellator Bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis by hitting two tangos in the main event of Bellator 272 on December 3, 2021 in the first defense of “The Phenom”.

Being a Bellator champion is nothing new for Horiguchi, who won the title back in 2019 by defeating Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 222. However, he didn’t do much with the title. , as he was forced to vacate the title after he tore his ACL.

Now he is on a quest to get back the Bellator belt he never lost in a fight. That’s why he considers himself the true Bellator champion and not Pettis.

“Of course, he is a good fighter. But I think I’m the real champion – more than him, you know? So I will show up in that fight,” Horiguchi said BJPenn.com.

Although Horiguchi made a spectacular comeback by winning the RIZIN 135 belt for the second time – the title he currently holds – regaining the Bellator belt was the number one priority, which is why he signed with the promotion.

“I need the belt back first, so that’s why I don’t want to go to the UFC or somewhere else, you know. That’s why I decided [to go] with Bellator. ”

As for Pettis, he became the 135-pound king by defeating Juan Archuleta at Bellator 258, his fourth straight win, his third with Viacom-owned promotion. Having not tasted defeat in three years, Pettis is starting to build his own legacy in MMA and victory over a champion and longtime veteran like Horiguchi would be a stunning victory on the belt… his pun intended.

To view the latest Bellator MMA related news and notes, be sure to visit our comprehensive news archive right here.