The Japanese fighter has already received permission from Rizin chief Nobuyuki Sakakibara and is now trying to settle the matter with the PFL, which acquired the rights to his contract after Bellator MMA purchased him.
“I want to win the UFC belt – that’s all I think about,” Horiguchi was quoted as saying by Yahoo Japan. “I’m confident I can beat current UFC champion Alesandre Pantoja. I have a valid contract with Bellator and now we are trying to settle all the formalities, but I have a clear goal, which is to return to the UFC”
Kyoji Horiguchi left the UFC at the end of 2016 and has since competed in Rizin and Bellator, managing to become the two organizations’ flyweight champion.
Last December, the 33-year-old Japanese fighter became Rizin’s first ever flyweight champion, finishing compatriot Makoto Takahashi by rear-naked choke in the second round.