UFC Fight Night 52 results: Kyoji Horiguchi takes out Jon Delos Reyes in first round

SAITAMA, Japan – The UFC’s flyweight division very well may have a new contender on its hands in Kyoji Horiguchi.

Horiguchi (14-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) took out Jon Delos Reyes (7-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) with a first-round TKO, then said he wants to fight a top opponent next. He will almost certainly get his wish.

The flyweight bout opened up the main card of today’s UFC Fight Night 52 card at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

Delos Reyes danced to the outside early before eating a body shot that stalled him. Horiguchi took advantage and brought the fight to the canvas, where he went to work from half guard. With three minutes left, Delos Reyes got back to his feet, but had to eat a punch for his troubles.

Horiguchi kept Delos Reyes guessing by changing stances and bouncing unpredictably, though Delos Reyes did catch him with a flying knee midway through. With 1:45 left, Horiguchi landed big with a counter left hand, and Delos Reyes was in trouble. He quickly bounced back to his feet and tried to fire back, but Horiguchi kept the pressure on.

When Delos Reyes hit the canvas again, Horiguchi jumped on him and wouldn’t let up until Delos Reyes was finished. The stoppage came at the 3:48 mark of the fight.

Horiguchi won for the eighth straight time. Reyes lost for the second straight time and still is looking for his first UFC victory.

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 52 results include:

• Kyoji Horiguchi def. Jon Delos Reyes via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:48
• Masanori Kanehara def. Alex Caceres via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Katsunori Kikuno def. Sam Sicilia via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:38
• Hyun Gyu Lim def. Takenori Sato via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 1:18
• Kyung Ho Kang def. Michinori Tanaka via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Johnny Case def. Kazuki Tokudome via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:34
• Maximo Blanco def. Daniel Hooker via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 52, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in Japan.)