2012 World MMA Bantamweight Scouting Report: #8 - Kyoji Horiguchi

Photo by Taro Irei, Sherdog
Name:	Kyoji Horiguchi
Nickname:	--
Age:	21
Height:	5' 5"
Location:	Takasaki, Gunma, Japan

Japan is the last place more informed readers of the report would expect to find a prospect, but Japanese knockout artist Kyoji Horiguchi (6-0) is an impressive exception to the downward trend. Hailing out of Takasaki, Gunma, Japan, the 21-year-old Krazy Bee team member has spectacularly destroyed five of his six opponents since stepping into the sport last May.

Horiguchi earned himself the honor of being called the 2010 Shooto Rookie MVP after crushing Takahiro Hosoi at Shooto Tradition 2011 in April. He followed the win with an impressive one-punch knockout of Yuta Nezu at Shootor's Legacy 3 in July, then starched Naohiro Mizuno two months later at Shootor's Legacy 4 in September, running his streak to six.

Horiguchi's key to success stems from a refreshing, high-octane striking game that is both overwhelming and frustrating for his opposition. Constantly moving in and out of range, Horiguchi utilizes heavy kicks and punches to throw off his opponents, eventually finding holes in his opponents' defenses that he can exploit with his speed. Incredibly, Horiguchi doesn't sacrifice any power for speed, annihilating opponents who leave their chins exposed with a whirlwind of powerful punches.

Most fans will liken Horiguchi to his teammate Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto, and those comparisons aren't unwarranted. Like Yamamoto, Horiguchi combines speed and power on the feet while also possessing solid takedown defense. He's overly aggressive, destructive, and never lets his foot off the pedal, which is similar to the version of Yamamoto that terrorized the scene in his more youthful days.

Unfortunately, Horiguchi faces some major obstacles if he wants to leave a mark. Most notably, he's undersized even for the bantamweight division at 5'5". His takedown defense is unproven against better competition, and there is the possibility that he's exiled to low-tier Japanese MMA promotions while the Asian scene suffers from a decline in interest.

I'm not certain he'll suffer the fate of being stuck in Japan, however, since he's been traveling with Yamamoto stateside to train. Not only is he getting some exposure in North America with camps, but he's improving in areas he needs to in order to succeed in the future. At only 21 years of age, we'll undoubtedly see Horiguchi make an impact at the highest levels in the future, whether it be at bantamweight or flyweight.

Video footage of Kyoji Horiguchi in action after the jump...

Kyoji Horiguchi Highlight - Sugoi Shooter

Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Takahiro Hosoi
Shooto Tradition 2011 - April 29, 2011

Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Seiji Akao
Shooto Rookie Tournament 2010 Final - December 18, 2010