Kyoji Horiguchi releases statement following UFC Vegas 119 defeat

Kyoji Horiguchi's bid to mount a late-career push toward UFC flyweight gold suffered a major setback when he fell to Manel Kape via third-round technical knockout at UFC Fight Night 279 on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

The fight was competitive through the opening two rounds, but Kape's crushing power proved decisive 2:42 into the third stanza, forcing the referee to halt the bout. The loss interrupts Horiguchi's recent momentum—he had strung together eight consecutive victories before facing Kape and had reignited his second UFC stint with consecutive wins over Tagir Ulanbekov and Amir Albazi.

At 35 years old, Horiguchi released a brief statement on social media reflecting on the defeat. "Thank you all for your support," he wrote. "I got spectacularly knocked out. I'm truly sorry. Kape was strong." Despite the setback, Horiguchi vowed to continue pursuing his championship ambitions, pledging to retrain and return to competition soon.

Horiguchi's history with Kape dates back to 2017, when he defeated the fighter while competing in Rizin Fighting Federation. His sole previous title shot came in April 2015, when he suffered a fifth-round submission loss to Demetrious Johnson at flyweight. Though Saturday's knockout was a significant blow, Horiguchi signaled his determination to keep fighting: "This is why I can't quit martial arts. I'll retrain and be back in no time! I'm not giving up on my dream yet."