Contenders Manel Kape, Kyoji Horiguchi looking to jump the line at flyweight

Two of the best flyweights in the world meet in a rematch this Saturday at a UFC Fight Night main event when Manel Kape takes on Kyoji Horiguchi.

These two elite flyweights first met in RIZIN all the way back in 2017.

Horiguchi tapped out Kape with a third-round arm-triangle choke in that fight, and he went on to win the RIZIN bantamweight grand prix later that night with a second victory.

Now, nine years later, these two flyweights meet in the UFC with a potential flyweight title shot on the line.

Both Kape and Horiguchi enter this fight on hot streaks as they close in on a crack at gold in the men’s 125-pound division.

Starting with Kape, the 32-year-old Angola native has won three straight fights by knockout inside the Octagon over top-15 ranked fighters in Brandon Royval, Asu Almabayev, and Bruno Silva.

The win over Royval was, by far, the most impressive one to date as he managed to take out one of the most durable flyweights in the division in the first round. It was an eye-opening performance by Kape, and he showed that he’s ready to fight for the belt at 125 pounds.

But before he gets the chance to fight for UFC gold, the matchmakers are giving Kape one final test in Horiguchi, who is one of the most highly respected flyweights in the sport.

The 35-year-old from Japan also rides into this fight on a hot streak, having won five straight fights, including two wins in the UFC since he re-joined the promotion in 2025, picking up key wins over top flyweights in Tagir Ulanbekov and Amir Albazi.

Remember, this is Horiguchi’s second stint in the UFC, as he previously competed for the promotion from 2013 to 2016. He even once fought UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight title at UFC 186 in April 2015 in Montreal, losing literally at the last second by armbar when Johnson pulled off one of the most memorable submissions in UFC history.

Eleven years later, Horiguchi is on the cusp of fighting for the UFC flyweight title once again, only this time, the belt is held by 24-year-old Myanmar superstar Joshua Van.

The winner of Kape vs. Horiguchi should undoubtedly earn a title shot in their next fight. But they may have to wait a little while longer, as the UFC may opt to first book a rematch between Van and former longtime champion Alexandre Pantoja, since the two have unfinished business due to their fight in December at UFC 323 ending via first-round injury TKO.

It does feel like the UFC is eyeing the rematch between Van and Pantoja. That fight has not been booked, though, so if Kape or Horiguchi can step into the Octagon this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and pull off an extremely impressive win, they could very well cement their place as the top contender.

Even if they have to wait for Pantoja to get the title shot first, there is no doubt the winner of Kape vs. Horiguchi 2 will put themselves in a great position in the stacked flyweight division.

Remember, it was once upon a time that the UFC wanted to get rid of the flyweights — that’s one of the reasons Horiguchi left the UFC in the first place.

But now, it’s one of the most exciting divisions in the sport, and no one could imagine a world where the UFC doesn’t have this weight class.

In addition to the upcoming Kape vs. Horiguchi 2 bout and the likely Van vs. Pantoja rematch, another key flyweight matchup coming up features the aforementioned Royval against up-and-coming star Lone’er Kavanagh at UFC 329 next month.

Kavanagh is coming off a five-round domination over former UFC flyweight champion Brandon Moreno, while Royval is always one of the top fighters in the weight class. On paper, this matchup has Fight of the Night written all over it, if not Fight of the Year.

Several other veterans have performed well as of late, such as Steve Erceg, Alex Perez, Edgar Chairez, and Charles Johnson, plus up-and-coming fighters like Alessandro Costa, Imanol Rodriguez, Jose Ochoa, Alden Coria, Joseph Morales, and Andre Lima, who fights Kevin Borjas on the undercard this weekend.

And don’t forget about the promotion’s two young Japanese prospects in Tatsuro Taira and Rei Tsuruya either. Yes, they have both lost to Van, but they are both still amazing young fighters who could work their way back to the top of the division in the next year or two.

It’s safe to say the UFC flyweight division is in good hands right now and going forward. With Van as the champion and with so many top contenders and prospects on the rise, 125-pounds is as deep and talented as it ever has been, and Kape and Horiguchi will show that once again this Saturday when they meet for five rounds or less in Vegas.