One of the most highly anticipated fights of the weekend has been lost, as Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Ray Borg has dropped off Bellator 295.
The flyweight bout, a rarity for the promotion, which does not currently house the division, was to have been Borg’s debut for Bellator MMA. However, promotion officials announced Friday morning that the fight had been removed from Saturday’s card, which takes place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii.
In place of Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Ray Borg on the Bellator 295 main card will be Yancy Medeiros vs. Charlie Leary.
No reason was given for the bout’s cancellation.
Borg (16-5) had won all three of his fights since exiting the UFC in 2020, with all three coming at 135lbs. Saturday’s contest was to mark his return to the flyweight division, where Borg once challenged all-time flyweight great Demetrious Johnson for UFC gold.
Horiguchi (31-5), a former Bellator MMA and RIZIN bantamweight champion, also challenged Johnson for gold in the UFC. He returned to 125lbs in December, winning a unanimous decision against Hiromasa Ougikubo at the Bellator MMA vs. RIZIN card on New Year’s Eve.
The Japanese standout has been a vocal proponent of Bellator opening up a 125lb weight class. Historically, Bellator has hosted all weight classes between bantamweight and heavyweight, plus flyweight and featherweight for women.
