A pair of former UFC contenders will meet at the next Rizin FF event.
Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Ian McCall has been booked for Rizin FF 10 in May, the Japan-based promotion announced Tuesday.
Horiguchi (23-2) won the 2017 Rizin FF bantamweight Grand Prix tournament last December at the annual New Year’s Eve card. The former UFC flyweight title challenger stopped Shintaro Ishiwatari, Manel Kape, and Gabriel Oliveira within a two-day span. Riding an eight-fight winning streak, he hasn’t lost since a fifth-round submission defeat to UFC champ and pound-for-pound king Demetrious Johnson in April 2015.
McCall (13-6-1) also competed in the recent bantamweight tournament, but “Uncle Creepy” wasn’t as lucky. He fell to Kape in the tournament’s second round via controversial first-round TKO. He cut his head on the ropes and the ringside doctor deemed the MMA veteran unable to continue.
Before his Rizin FF debut, McCall hadn’t fought since a January 2015 loss to John Lineker in the Octagon. He had six consecutive fights cancelled for various reasons; he was injured once, fell ill twice, and his opponents pulled out during fight week three times.
Horiguchi and McCall will fight at 61 kilograms (approximately 134.5 pounds), the same weight at which the bantamweight tournament was contested.
Rizin FF 10 takes place at Marine Messe Fukuoka in Fukuoka, Japan on May 6.
Rizin FF sent out a correction Sunday night noting that its May event is titled Rizin FF 10, not Rizin FF 9 as previously announced. This story was updated at 12:09 a.m. ET on Feb. 15 to reflect that change.