A crossover match pitting Bellator champion versus RIZIN champion is set for New Year’s Eve as Darrion Caldwell will travel to Japan to face Kyoji Horiguchi at RIZIN 14.
The fight was announced late Wednesday night as part of the RIZIN 14 press conference. The RIZIN bantamweight title will be up for grabs in the crossover showdown.
Caldwell became Bellator bantamweight champion last year and he has since defended the title while also just recently taking a fight at featherweight to remain active while waiting for a new title contender to emerge.
Now the former NCAA champion wrestler will travel to Japan to face one of the top pound-for-pound international talents in the sport.
Horiguchi was considered one of the best flyweights in the UFC with his only loss coming to former champion Demetrious Johnson before he left the promotion in 2017 and inked a new long term contract with RIZIN.
Since then, Horiguchi has mauled the competition with seven straight wins including a stunning nine-second knockout against UFC veteran Ian McCall.
Now Horiguchi will represent RIZIN as their welterweight champion to welcome Caldwell to the ring on New Year’s Eve in a crossover fight between promotions.
