Kyoji Horiguchi experienced multiple scares from Nkazimulo Zulu at RIZIN 49: Decade, but he ultimately found his path to victory and defended the flyweight title. After largely dominating in the opening round of the matchup on Tuesday in Saitama, Japan, Zulu (16-7-1) achieved his biggest moment when he rocked the former UFC title challenger with a big punch late in the round. Horiguchi (34-5) survived and scored a knockdown of his own moment later before threatening with a fight-ending choke. THEY EXCHANGE KNOCKDOWNS AT THE END OF ROUND 1! [ #RIZIN_DECADE | LIVE on https://t.co/LChPUvqSqh ] pic.twitter.com/hw573VpCML — RIZIN.tv (@RIZINTV_) December 31, 2024 The action then spilled over into the second frame, where Horiguchi wasted no time putting Zulu on his back and grinding minutes off the clock before the referee stood them up and he was rocked again.