By the Numbers: Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Darrion Caldwell

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The first time Kyoji Horiguchi and Darrion Caldwell fought, the Rizin Fighting Federation bantamweight title was on the line. Horiguchi submitted Caldwell in the third round of that bout. Now under the Bellator MMA lights, they will come to blows again, with the promotional bantamweight belt at stake. Let these numbers show why their Bellator 222 encounter could be one for the ages.

Age and overall experience

At 28, Horiguchi is three years younger than Caldwell but he has more professional mixed martial arts mileage. The Japanese bantamweight started his career on May 9, 2010 with a victory at Shooto. In his third fight, he notably won the Shooto rookie tournament. Apart from Shooto, he also fought for Vale Tudo Japan, the Ultimate Fighting Championship and currently, Rizin. He holds a record of 27-2.

Caldwell made his pro debut on Sept. 14, 2012 at Legacy Fighting Championship, where he fought a total of three times. He was then signed by Bellator and debuted impressively with a 50-second finish of Lance Surma. Caldwell fought for Bellator 11 times before challenging Horiguchi for the inaugural Rizin bantamweight championship. He owns an overall 13-2 record.

Bellator appearances

On June 14, Caldwell will be gunning for his 11th Bellator win in 12 appearances. After three fights at flyweight, he moved to bantamweight and picked up three more victories before losing to Joe Taimanglo at Bellator 159. That marked his first professional defeat. He later beat Taimanglo in a rematch to set the stage for a title showdown with Eduardo Dantas. Caldwell won and successfully defended the belt against Leandro Higo before having his only featherweight matchup in a winning effort against Noad Lahat.

Horiguchi has way more pro MMA experience than Caldwell but has never fought at Bellator. He does have momentum on his side, though, as he had previously defeated “The Wolf.” According to Bellator president Scott Coker, Horiguchi’s contract features a rematch clause. Should he become a Bellator champion, he is obligated to defend the title once a year.

Championship experience

Apart from winning the 2010 Shooto rookie tournament, Horiguchi also became the Shooto bantamweight champion by choking out Hiromasa Ogikubo. He defended the belt from Pancrase bantamweight king Shintaro Ishiwatari in an exciting back-and-forth battle that saw Horiguchi forcing a stoppage via TKO early in round five. For all his conquests, he entered the UFC with a ton of confidence, and in only his fifth Octagon bout, he fought for the title against Demetrious Johnson, albeit in a losing effort.

Horiguchi bounced back by winning his next three UFC fights, but decided not to renew his contract and instead moved to Rizin in 2017 -- the same year he won the Rizin bantamweight grand prix. His biggest accomplishment came this past December when he beat Caldwell for the inaugural Rizin bantamweight strap. Not counting the tournaments he won, Horiguchi has been in a championship bout four times in his career.

Caldwell, on the other hand, has been in a championship match three times, twice at Bellator and once at Rizin. As aforementioned, he won the Bellator bantamweight title by beating Dantas and defended it from Higo. He then lost to Horiguchi for the Rizin bantamweight championship.