5. Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Ian McCall
Rizin Fighting Federation 12
May 6 | Fukuoka, Japan
Adversity did nothing to cool Horiguchi’s competitive fire; if anything, it was enhanced. The reigning Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight champion has strung together eight consecutive victories since his ill-fated encounter with the incomparable Demetrious Johnson in April 2015 and now boasts a 23-2 record. Horiguchi last competed on New Year’s Eve, when he submitted Manel Kape with a third-round arm-triangle choke and stopped Shintaro Ishiwatari with second-round punches to win the 2017 Rizin bantamweight grand prix. The snakebitten McCall has not fought since his TKO loss to Kape on Dec. 29, which resulted from his being cut by the ring ropes.

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