Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight contenders Kyoji Horiguchi and Chico Camus looked to get back into the win column last night (Sept. 26, 2015) at UFC Fight Night 75 inside Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Horiguchi made mincemeat of his early opposition, but he then ran into the wall known as "Mighty Mouse" and stumbled harshly. His bout with Camus was the first since that defeat, and "Supernova" was looking to make a statement.
Since his drop to 125 pounds, Camus has proven himself a solid gatekeeper to the Top 10. However, "King" Camus was unsatisfied with that position and worked to replace Horiguchi in the rankings.
Instead, he's stuck in the same spot.
The Flyweight standouts wasted little time in exchanging shots, as Horiguchi bounced in with sudden combinations. Camus tried to take the role of pressure fighter, but he had a lot of trouble with the Japanese athlete's excellent lateral movement.
In addition, Horiguchi's takedown defense held up very well. Even when Camus latched onto his back in the clinch after Horiguchi missed a spinning back kick, Horiguchi managed to escape pretty easily.
While he didn't land anything devastating, Horiguchi clearly controlled the first round.
Horiguchi started the round strong, rocking Camus with a nice right hand and trying to flurry. "King" Camus hung in gamely and recovered well, but Horiguchi was still in control on the feet.
Though Horiguchi was landing the better shots and generally winning the fights, he was definitely slowing down as the fight wore on. Camus connected on a much higher percentage of his punches in the second, and that was very likely due to fatigue.
However, it was nowhere near enough to win the round.
Camus tried to start the round aggressively, but the movement and feints of Horiguchi kept him from landing all that much or continuing his assault. Once Camus calmed back down, Horiguchi continued to pick his foe apart.
To his credit, Camus continued trying to make something happen. Unfortunately for the Roufusport athlete, he had never really found his range, ensuring that he spent more of his time missing and eating counters than actually landing.
At the end of three rounds, the winner was clear.
This victory was pretty classic Horiguchi. The karate specialist is an excellent athlete with a great sense of timing, allowing him to explode on both combinations and counter strikes accurately.
In addition, Horiguchi did an excellent job keeping his opponent guessing. He mixed plenty of rolls and direction changes into his moving, while throwing a variety of strikes to the head and body. Camus never really got comfortable, and that ensured Horiguchi was one step ahead the whole time.
However, Horiguchi did not show any real improvement or new developments. A big part of his loss to "Mighty Mouse" was due to his gas tank, which ran empty pretty quickly opposite the champion. Despite being in complete control, Horiguchi did lose his first round explosiveness, and that's a major issue.
With that in mind, there's no need to throw Horiguchi to the top five of the division. Hell, there was no reason for him to fight Johnson in the first place. Regardless, a bout with Wilson Reis would make sense.
Sometimes, a fighter is simply out-matched. That was the case here, as Camus was simply not as skilled at range kickboxing. Since he was not able to take the Japanese fighter down, that's where he was stuck.
Still, there was one major issue with Camus' performance. For whatever reason, Camus largely abandoned kicking in this bout, when it should have been one of his most utilized weapons. Horiguchi circles a ton; there's no reason not to dig into his legs or halt his movement with a body kick.
It probably wouldn't have mattered, but it still should've been part of Camus' game plan.
Though his losses have come to top-notch fighters, it's time for a step back. For example, a bout with Irish boxer Neil Seery would surely be a solid scrap.
Last night, Kyoji Horiguchi showed off his karate skill to win a decision over Chico Camus. Can the talented kickboxer earn another title shot?
For complete UFC Fight Night 75 "Barnett vs Nelson" results and play-by-play, click HERE!