Kyoji Horiguchi’s title victory may have been overshadowed by what followed.
Winning the inaugural Rizin flyweight title by submitting Makoto Shinryu in the second round at Rizin 45 was a big moment for Horiguchi and the promotion on New Year’s Eve, but he wasn’t done creating memories.
After getting the gold belt wrapped around his waist, Horiguchi had some hardware of his own to offer. With gold confetti all over the ring, Horiguichi turned to his girlfriend, and dropped to one knee to propose.
Trying to hold back tears of joy, she got on the microphone herself to make sure everyone heard her acceptance, and Horiguichi slid a ring onto his now-fiancee’s finger.
Check out video of the moment below (via X):
And to cap it all off, Kyoji Horiguchi proposes and gets the answer: 𝒀𝒆𝒔🎉
📡 Watch on @FITEtv !🔻https://t.co/eEpfmslhPp pic.twitter.com/VWVHHHaIQE
— RIZIN FF English (@rizin_English) December 31, 2023
Horiguchi has challenged for a UFC title, captured Bellator gold, and is now a Rizin titleholder, but what came after his win on Sunday was perhaps the biggest moment of his life on a very special evening in Japan.