HONOLULU – Ray Borg is expected to emerge as a title contender with a win over Koji Horiguchi.
Borg (16-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) pulled out former champion Horiguchi (31-5 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) in a flyweight bout in his promotional debut at Saturday’s Bellator 295 event. The card takes place at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu with the main card on Showtime following pre-shows on MMA Junkie.
The Bellator does not have a flyweight division, but the Borg sights appear to be set at 135 pounds of gold. On the same night that Borg competes, the Bellator bantamweight award will be decided when interim champion Raufeon Stots meets Patchy Mix in the final. The winner of that fight will face champion Sergio Pettis or upcoming challenger Patricio Freire.
Borg plans to enter title discussions as well if he is victorious.
“I don’t understand why I didn’t win this fight with that combination,” Borg told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight press conference on Wednesday. “I don’t know why winning this fight wouldn’t push me to the front of the line or at least near the front of the line. There are some good fights this weekend as far as this division goes, but for now I have my eyes on Horiguchi and we’ll worry about all that later.”
A former UFC flyweight contender, Borg had no way other than to undergo rigorous testing like Horiguchi on the spot.
“I would have been kind of upset if they hadn’t given me someone like Horiguchi,” Borg said. “I’ve been in this sport for a long time, it’s had some really high level competition, and the fact that Horiguchi and I haven’t competed in the past is surprising. I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to make my Bellator debut. He’s a great fighter, he’s been into the sport for so long , and he’s also a veteran. I just think it’s a great match.”
For more card information, visit Bellator 295’s MMA Junkie Event Center.