Ray Borg, a fellow UFC veteran, will be welcomed into the Bellator cage by Kyoji Horiguchi.
On April 22 at Bellator 295 in Honolulu, former bantamweight champions Horiguchi (31-5) and Borg (16-5) will square off.
Once Borg agreed to the promotion, ESPN first speculated about the potential fight in late February.
The flyweight booking was first reported by MMA Mania. The main event of Bellator 295 is the bantamweight grand prix final between Raufeon Stots and Patrick Mix, which takes place on April 22, 2023 at the Neil S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.
On New Year’s Eve, Horiguchi competed at RIZIN 40 for the first time since April 2017, switching back to flyweight. Horiguchi, a former bantamweight champion in Bellator and Rizin, comes into the contest with a two-fight winning run. The American Top Team fighter’s most recent fight was a flyweight contest at the Bellator vs. Rizin event on New Year’s Eve, where he defeated Hiromasa Ougikubo by a majority decision.
Kyoji Horiguchi earned his third victory over his seasoned rival Hiromasa Ougikubo. Horiguchi, a former bantamweight champion in Bellator and Rizin, won by unanimous decision. After the victory, he went 31-5. Ougikubo’s record fell to 25-7-2.
Prior victories over Ougikubo came in March 2013 and July 2018 by unanimous decision and submission, respectively. Horiguchi competed for the UFC flyweight title in 2015 but lost to Demetrious Johnson via submission.
After signing with Bellator late last month, Borg is already working to extend his winning streak. In his last three professional bouts, Borg, 29, has prevailed. “The Tazmexican Devil” has won back-to-back decision victories over opponents like Jesse Arnett, Cody Gibson, and Ricky Bandejas since finishing his 7-5 UFC career in October 2017 with a loss to Johnson in a flyweight title fight.
Ray Borg has had a stellar career since leaving the octagon, and he is now well-positioned with Bellator. When making his Bellator debut, Borg will be looking for a memorable performance.
The fighter, who was born in Japan, is well known for being one of the best 125- and 135-pound competitors in history. The veteran will be no simple task for the American, who is on a two-fight winning streak and has a record of 31-5.
Ray Borg competed at flyweight for the most of his stint in the UFC despite finding a home in the bantamweight division. He has, however, a reputation of underperforming in promotions; during his tenure, he has failed to do so an astounding four times.
Despite being a 12-fight veteran of the organisation, his most noteworthy incident occurred during his only title match when he was the victim of the 2017 submission of the year.
Borg will make his professional debut in a high-profile match-up on a huge stage, perhaps putting his terrible luck in and out of the cage behind him. Two, it might herald the launch of a men’s flyweight division in Bellator, something Horiguchi had already expressed interest in to Cageside News.
Despite the fact that Bellator has not yet established a dedicated flyweight division, both fighters are experienced in the division having each competed for the UFC championship while competing for the promotion. Borg struggled to maintain his weight while competing in the UFC, coming up three times short of the 126-pound limit.
Bellator has long operated in the shadow of the UFC, but it has recently proven that it has the ability to recruit talent before the MMA titan. The organisation has now released details about the debut mega-match of its newest recruit.
Even though they were once free agents, well-known athletes like Michael “Venom” Page, AJ McKee, and others chose to stay with Bellator. Although the powerhouse is probably unconcerned, their dominance in the sport may be compromised if their rivals gain momentum and acquire players before them.
