At the end of the year, Bellator bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell (13-1) will be heading to Japan to take on Kyoji Horiguchi (25-2) for Rizin Fighting Federation’s inaugural 135-pound title in a cross-promotion tilt as announced by Bellator MMA president Scott Coker.
Coker told ESPN that the “champion vs. champion” fight could set up a huge card in the future between Bellator fighters and their Rizin counterparts.
Whoever ever comes out on top between Caldwell and Horiguchi on Dec. 31, at Rizin.14, will continue competing between both banners.
Coker described the reciprocal terms of the agreement:
We each had to make sure we were protected on the back side. If Darrion Caldwell wins the Rizin belt, at least once a year, we’ll send ‘DC’ to Japan to defend that belt, because it’s not fair to them to put their championship on the line and if he wins—sorry, you don’t have it anymore.
Coker and Rizin president Nobuyuki Sakakibara have a longstanding relationship going back to Coker’s tenure with Strikeforce as CEO. Sakikibara was president of Pride Fighting Championships before later founding Rizin FF in 2015.
Rizin, out of Japan, has established itself as one of the sport’s most-beloved MMA outfits. The promotion is full of talent but also has a reputation for pushing the boundaries when it comes to matchmaking. Rizin.14 will be headlined by none other than boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Since replacing Bjorn Rebney in 2014, Coker has built Bellator into the second-biggest MMA promotion in the United States behind the UFC.
Representing Bellator on New Year’s Eve will be the 30-year-old Caldwell. Caldwell has tasted defeat on only on occasion in his career, avenging his lone loss to Joe Taimanglo in 2016. The American went on to win the bantamweight belt and defend it once. Seemingly out of contenders, Caldwelll made a return to the featherweight division three months ago at Bellator 204 and stopped Noad Lahat inside the distance.
Rizin’s Horiguchi is 28-years-old and and once challenged Demetrious Johnson for the UFC flyweight crown. The Japanese suffered a last-second armbar defeat to Johnson but hasn’t lost since. In 2017, he won the Rizin Bantamweight Grand-Prix and added two more victories under his belt this year, most notably a nine-second knockout of the excellent Ian McCall.
The matchup marks a monumental moment in MMA matchmaking.
