Horiguchi vows to chase flyweight dream after Kape's third-round stoppage at UFC Vegas 119

Kyoji Horiguchi’s bid for a second shot at the UFC flyweight title suffered a significant setback on Saturday night, when Manel Kape stopped him by technical knockout 2:42 into the third round of their UFC Fight Night 279 headliner at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Horiguchi had controlled the opening two rounds, but Kape — who lost to the Japanese veteran in Rizin Fighting Federation back in 2017 — turned the fight decisively with a burst of power in the third stanza to hand Horiguchi his first defeat in nine outings.

The loss snapped an eight-fight unbeaten run for Horiguchi, who had returned to the UFC and won back-to-back bouts against Tagir Ulanbekov and Amir Albazi before Saturday’s main event. The 35-year-old American Top Team product first challenged for the UFC flyweight title in April 2015, falling to Demetrious Johnson by fifth-round submission.

Despite the setback, Horiguchi was defiant in a brief statement posted to X shortly after the fight. “Thank you all for your support,” he wrote. “I got spectacularly knocked out. I’m truly sorry. Kape was strong. Thank you! This is why I can’t quit martial arts. I’ll retrain and be back in no time! I’m not giving up on my dream yet.”

The defeat raises questions about Horiguchi’s path back to title contention at 125 pounds, but his willingness to continue competing — and the manner in which he dominated the early rounds — suggests he remains a credible presence in the flyweight division at 35.