Demetrious Johnson has a run of the place at 125 pounds in the UFC, and now his fallen challengers will fight among themselves.
Kyoji Horiguchi (#3) (17-2) will take on Ali Bagautinov (#8) (14-4) at UFC Fight Night 97 in the Philippines in October. The two look to try to climb the flyweight ladder after both were bested by current champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson.
The third-ranked Horiguchi was a victim of the latest stoppage in UFC history, submitting to a Johnson armbar with one second remaining in their UFC 186 title fight. Bagautinov dropped a unanimous decision to Johnson at UFC 174 in June 2014, only to test positive for EPO following the bout. This resulted in a one-year suspension.
Horiguchi has returned to form with wins over Neil Seery and Chico Camus, while Bagautinov returned to action, losing to Joseph Benavidez, before defeating Geane Herrera at UFC Fight Night 89. The two aren't the only former flyweight contenders scrapping it out, as Henry Cejudo and Benavidez will fight on the TUF 24 Finale later this year.
The bout joins BJ Penn vs. Ricardo Lamas and Derrick Lewis vs. Marcin Tybura as announced fights. UFC Fight Night 97 takes place on October 15 from the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Manila, Philippines.
