Kyoji Horiguchi will have the opportunity to recapture the bantamweight belt at Bellator 262. He has been booked to face reigning champion Sergio Pettis in Uncasville.
Horiguchi’s Rizin contract expired this year and he signed an exclusive deal with Bellator. But it doesn’t appear to have damaged the relationship between the two promotions with Nobuyuki Sakakibara saying,
“I would like to use this opportunity to thank Bellator and Scott Coker for providing our Rizin bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi the opportunity to challenge (for) the Bellator championship. I am very excited to say Horiguchi’s challenge is just the first step of what Bellator and Rizin has planned.”
Horiguchi (29-3) was last seen in action at Rizin 26 on New Year’s Eve where he recaptured the bantamweight belt from Kai Asakura. He subsequently announced he was leaving the promotion after his contract expired and has not fought this year.
Pettis (21-5) is undefeated in the Bellator cage and has won his last four fights. He captured the promotion’s bantamweight belt by beating Juan Archuleta in May.
The card at the Mohegan Sun Arena will also a feature a featherweight fight between Keoni Diggs (9-1) and John de Jesus (14-9) and a bantamweight bout pitting Josh Hill (20-4) against Jared Scoggins (10-1)
Bellator 272, Unasville December 3rd
Sergio Pettis (c) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (For bantamweight title)
Keoni Diggs vs. John de Jesus (Featherweight)
Josh Hill vs. Jared Scoggins (Bantamweight)
