Kyoji Horiguchi withdraws from Rizin FF 20 due to knee injury, subsequently vacates title

Kyoji Horiguchi will have to wait to try to get his revenge against Kai Asakura.

Rizin/Bellator MMA double champ Horiguchi (28-3) was forced to pull out of his upcoming Rizin FF 20 bout against Asakura (14-1) due a torn ACL and damaged meniscus, the promotion announced in a release late Wednesday evening.

Expected to miss 10 months of competition, Rizin officials said Horiguchi “has asked to revoke his status as Rizin champion,” and his bantamweight title has since been vacated. Asakura is expected to remain on the card and fight a new opponent for the 135-pound strap at the Dec. 31 event at Saitama Super Arena in Japan.

“Injuries happen, and this is what we have to deal with on a regular basis,” Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara stated. “We will work hard to take this situation and turn it into a positive. We believe that the fighters who look to stand up to these types of occasions will leave a special impression.”

Also in the release, Horiguchi issued an apology to fans, the promotion, and his opponent for having to withdraw from the New Year’s Eve headliner.

“I am terribly sorry,” Horiguchi stated. “I have injured myself and have just had surgery, and I am forced to withdraw from the Rizin 20 event.

“When I think about everybody who was looking forward to my fight on New Year’s Eve, I am lost in words and have an indescribable feeling of guilt for everybody. I am sorry. I am sorry to Kai Asakura, I am sorry to all the fans. I cannot describe how I feel in words.”

The first fight between Horiguchi and Asakura served as the Rizin 18 headliner in August. Asakura sent shockwaves through the MMA community when he knocked out the dual belt holder in a mere 68 seconds.

Check out the current RIZIN 20 lineup below:

• Kai Asakura vs. TBA – for vacant bantamweight title
• Champ Ayaka Hamasaki vs. Seo Hee Ham – for super atomweight title
• Johnny Case vs. Tofiqu Musaev – lightweight grand prix semifinal
• Luiz Gustavo vs. Patricky Freire – lightweight grand prix semifinal
• Patrick Mix vs. Yuki Motoya
• Mikuru Asakura vs. John Teixeira