Flyweight contenders Kyoji Horiguchi, Louis Gaudinot meet at UFC 182

By foxsports
Published

A pair of top flyweights will face off on New Year's Eve weekend.

Kyoji Horiguchi meets Louis Gaudinot at UFC 182 on Jan. 3 in Las Vegas, the UFC announced Thursday night via its Asian Twitter account. The card will air live on pay-per-view.

Horiguchi (14-1), a big-time prospect, is one of the most hottest fighters in the flyweight division right now. The Japanese star has won eight straight, including a first-round TKO of Jon Delos Reyes last month in his home country. Horiguchi, 24, is currently ranked No. 12 among UFC flyweight contenders. An impressive win over Gaudinot could earn him a bout against a top-10 opponent.

Gaudinot (6-3, 1 NC) will be Horiguchi's toughest challenge so far. The Ultimate Fighter alum originally earned a submission win over Phil Harris in March, but the victory was overturned into a no contest when Gaudinot tested positive for diuretics. The UFC suspended him six months for the failed test and he was supposed to get back into the Octagon against Patrick Holohan earlier this month in Halifax, but was injured less than a week before the fight and had to pull out.

Gaudinot, 30, is ranked No. 14 among 125-pound contenders. The typically green-haired Yonkers, N.Y., native owns a big win over No. 6 John Lineker in his UFC career. Gaudinot will have the ability to play spoiler here against a rising star in Horiguchi.

UFC 182 is headlined by a light heavyweight title bout between champion Jon Jones and challenger Daniel Cormier. The co-main event is supposed to feature women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey going up against Cat Zingano, but that has not yet been made official.