The UFC added an important fight in the flyweight division for UFC Qatar. Former title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi returns to take on Asu Almabayev. The fight is scheduled for three five-minute rounds and will take place at the ABHA Arena on November 21 in Al-Rayyan, Qatar.
Multiple sources have confirmed the booking to Heavy.com after an initial report by Brazilian MMA reporter Leo Guimaraes. Horiguchi is ranked No. 5 in the UFC Media rankings and No. 8 in the Meta rankings. His opponent, Almabayev, holds the edge in the Meta rankings at No. 5, but sits below Horiguchi in the Media rankings at No. 7.
Fan Favorite
Kyoji Horiguchi is one of the most beloved fighters in the UFC flyweight division. The Japanese fighter came into the UFC in 2013 and rose to the top in just over one-and-a-half years. After four wins, he already earned a title shot to take on the division G.O.A.T., Demetrious Johnson. Horiguchi lost in the final second of the fight by armbar submission. Horiguchi went on to win his next three fights in the UFC but decided not to sign a new contract but leave to his home country, Japan, to sign with Rizin FF. In Japan, Horiguchi became a massive name by winning many high-level fights, including the Rizin FF title. Because of the partnership between Rizin FF and Bellator MMA, Horiguchi got the opportunity, after defending his Rizin FF title against the Bellator MMA champ, to fight for the Bellator MMA title. Horiguchi won after five rounds via unanimous decision against Darrion Caldwell and became a two-promotion champion.
The Japanese fighter then lost a non-title bout to Kai Asakura but finished him in the rematch, this time for the title. In 2021, Horiguchi suffered a surprising knockout loss to Sergio Pettis in Bellator MMA, losing his title. In Rizin FF, he also won the flyweight title after holding the bantamweight title for a long time. Horiguchi returned to the UFC last year. He earned the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus for his amazing finish over Tagir Ulanbekov. After also defeating Amir Albazi, Horiguchi fought in June in a Fight Night main event against Manel Kape. Both guys fought each other in 2017, when Horiguchi won by submission. The Japanese fighter did well early on in the fight but got finished by knockout in the third round. It most likely earned Kape a title shot. Horiguchi has to take on Asu Almabayev and needs a win to get back on track for a possible title fight in the near future.
Heavy Grappling
Before Almabayev signed with the UFC, he already had over fifteen fights on his professional record. The flyweight out of Kazakhstan came over from Brave CF to the UFC in 2023. With a thirteen-fight winning streak, he took on Ode’ Osbourne in his debut. Almabayev grappled his way to a rear-naked choke submission win in the second round and earned the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. In 2024, Almabayev fought three times and won all fights via unanimous decision. The grappling of the Kazakh fighter was too slick for his opponents. Last year, he got a massive step up in competition to take on Manel Kape in a main event.
Almabayev struggled and got finished by TKO in the third round. A setback for the man from Kazakhstan, but he bounced back in a big way last year with wins over Jose Ochoa and former title challenger Alex Perez. In his most recent fight in June, he finished Charles Johnson with a beautiful Suloev Stretch submission. Now, with a three-fight winning streak, he takes on another former title challenger in Kyoji Horiguchi. A win over the Japanese fighter puts Almabayev back in title contention.
UFC Qatar – Doha (November 21)
- Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Asu Almabayev
High-Level Flyweight Bout Added to UFC Qatar