Bellator 272: Kyoji Horiguchi provides update on his health after spinning back-fist KO by Sergio Pettis – ‘I’m really sorry’
- Japan’s Horiguchi suffered a devastating knockout defeat by Sergio Pettis in their bantamweight title fight
- After being stretchered out of the ring, Horiguchi tells his supporters on Twitter ‘I’ll do my best again!’
Kyoji Horiguchi has shared an update that should put his supporters’ minds at ease.
The Japanese fighter, 31, returned from nearly a year-long lay-off in the main event of Bellator 272 on Friday night in Uncasville, Connecticut, challenging American champion Sergio Pettis for the promotion’s bantamweight title.
Horiguchi was soundly in control through the first three rounds, battering Pettis with leg kicks and power punches and completing multiple takedowns. Unfortunately for the Rizin champion and his fans, Pettis (22-5) mounted a jaw-dropping comeback in round four, scoring a devastating knockout win with a spinning back-fist.
Horiguchi (29-4) was unconscious before he hit the canvas and was carried out of the cage on a stretcher while his foil partook in a customary post-fight interview. That scene made for a tense few hours for the American Top Team star’s supporters, who were eager for information on his condition.
After a visit to the hospital, Horiguchi provided an update that should be a source of relief for his fans.
“I’m really sorry that I couldn’t meet the expectations of everyone who supported me,” he wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “I’m OK at all, so I’ll do my best again!”
While Horiguchi failed to win gold at Bellator 272, he remains the bantamweight champion of Japan’s Rizin Fighting Federation. He is also expected to take part in the upcoming Bellator bantamweight grand prix, which was announced during the Bellator 272 broadcast. Success in that tournament will lead him right back to the Bellator bantamweight belt.
