Naoki Inoue ( ja, 井上直樹); born June 14, 1997 in

Toyohashi, Aichi is a city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 377,453 in 160,516 households and a population density of 1,400 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . By area, Toyohashi was Aichi Prefecture's second-lar ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

is a Japanese

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

competing in the

flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing above 49 kg (108 lb) and up to 51 kg (112 lb). Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of bo ...

division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2014, Inoue has also competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Background

When Inoue was seven, his parents told him to do some extracurricular activity. He wanted to be strong, therefore he picked martial arts. Inoue received a first-degree black belt in karate and a blue belt in BJJ. He won the J-Network's All-Japan amateur championship as well as won the DEEP Future King (rookie) tournament in 2011.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Inoue made his amateur mixed martial arts debut on February 9, 2014 when he faced Gaku Sakamoto at Deep - Nagoya Impact 2014. He won via first-round submission using an armbar. Following this, Inoue compiled a professional record of 10–0, with wins over Yuya Shibata and Tomohiro Adaniya, before signing with the UFC in the winter of 2017.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Inoue made his promotional debut on June 17, 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia against Carls John de Tomas. At the weigh-ins Carls John de Tomas came in at 131 lbs, five pounds over the flyweight limit of 126 lbs. As a result, he was fined 30% of the purse, which went to Inoue, and their bout proceeded as scheduled at a catchweight. Inoue won the fight by unanimous decision. Inoue was expected to face

Jenel Lausa Jenel Lausa (born August 1, 1988) is a Filipino professional boxer and a mixed martial artist who was known to have competed in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career Lausa made his professional ...

on September 23, 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 117 ''UFC Fight Night: Saint Preux vs. Okami'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 117'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 23, 2017 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Background The ...

, but was pulled from the card due to a dislocated shoulder. Inoue faced

Matt Schnell Matthew Christopher Schnell (born January 15, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Flyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Schnell formerly competed for Legacy Fighting Alli ...

on June 23, 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 132 ''UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 132'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 23, 2018, at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore. Back ...

. He lost the fight via split decision.

Cage Fury FC

After departing from the UFC, Inoue faced Sean Santella in a flyweight bout at CFFC 72 on February 16, 2019. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Return to DEEP

Inoue eventually returned to DEEP, facing Toshiaki Kitada at Deep 93 on December 15, 2020. He won the fight via first-round submission.

Rizin FF

On January 24, 2020, news surfaced that Inoue was scheduled to face Trent Girdham at Rizin 21 – Hamamatsu on February 22, 2020. Inoue won the fight via unanimous decision. In his sophomore bout in the promotion, Inoue faced Shooto Watanabe at Rizin 22 – Starting Over on August 9, 2020. He won the fight via first-round submission. Inoue faced Yuki Motoya at Rizin 26 on December 31, 2020. He won the fight by rear naked choke, three minutes into the first round.

Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix 2021

Inoue faced

Shintaro Ishiwatari is a retired Japanese mixed martial artist and former Pancrase Bantamweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2006, he has also competed in Shooto, RIZIN, Vale Tudo Japan, DEEP, and World Victory Road. Mixed martial arts career Shoo ...

in the opening round of the Bantamweight Grand Prix at Rizin 28 on June 13, 2021. He won the bout via soccer kick knockout in the first round. Inoue was scheduled to face Yuto Hokamura in the quarterfinals on September 19, 2021 at Rizin 30. He won the fight by unanimous decision. In the semi-finals, Inoue faced

Hiromasa Ougikubo Hiromasa Ougikubo (born 1 April 1987) is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing as a flyweight in the Rizin Fighting Federation. A professional since 2006, he has also competed for Shooto, Vale Tudo Japan, and The Ultimate Fighte ...

on December 31, 2021 at Rizin 33. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Post-GP reign

After suffering his first loss under the Rizin banner, Inoue was booked to face Kenta Takizawa at Rizin 37 on July 31, 2022. However in late July it was reported that Inoue withdrew from the bout citing a knee injury. Inoue faced Kenta Takizawa on December 31, 2022 at

Rizin 40 ''Bellator MMA vs. Rizin FF'' and ''Rizin 40'' was a mixed martial arts event being co-promoted by Bellator MMA and the Rizin Fighting Federation that took place on December 31, 2022, at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Background Th ...

and won by submission via kimura in the second round.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 18–3 , Kenta Takizawa , Submission (kimura) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:53 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Rizin 33 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 17–2 , Yuto Hokamura , Decision (unanimous) , Rizin 30 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 16–2 ,

, KO (soccer kick) , Rizin 28 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:01 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–2 , Yuki Motoya , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Rizin 26 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 , Shooto Watanabe , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Rizin 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 , Trent Girdham , Decision (unanimous) , Rizin 21 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hamamatsu is a city located in western Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. the city had an estimated population of 791,707 in 340,591 households, making it the prefecture's largest city, and a population density of . The total area of the site was . Overview ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 , Toshiaki Kitada , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Deep 93: Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:41 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–2 , Sean Santella , Decision (unanimous) , CFFC 72: Brady vs. Abdul-Hakim , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, New Jersey, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–1 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Carls John de Tomas , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , ,

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Tomohiro Adaniya , Decision (majority) , Deep 78: Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Yuya Shibata , Submission (armbar) , Deep: Cage Impact 2016 in Osaka , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:51 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Go Minamide , Decision (majority) , Deep: 77 Impact/Jewels 13 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Naoyuki Kato , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Deep - Nagoya Impact: Kobudo Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:44 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Iyori Akiba , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Deep: Cage Impact 2016 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:32 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Chikara Shimabukuro , Decision (unanimous) , Deep 74: Impact , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Kenji Yamanaka , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Deep 72: Impact , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:21 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Kanta Sato , Submission (armbar) , Deep: Nagoya Impact: Kobudo Fight , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:49 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Icho Tomonaga , Submission (armbar) , Deep: Future King Tournament 2014 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:49 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Takuya Maruoka , Submission (armbar) , Deep: Future King Tournament 2014 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:21 ,

, Japan ,

Amateur mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 2-0 , Kenichi Kimura , Decision (Unanimous) , Deep - Amateur Deep 20: Kobudo Fight , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 1-0 , Gaku Sakamoto , Submission (armbar) , Deep - Nagoya Impact 2014 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:04 ,

, Japan , , -

Amateur Kickboxing record

, - style="background:#cfc;" , 2016-11-20, , Win, , align=left, Ryota Shibasaki , , J-Network All Japan A-League Tournament, Final, ,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

, , KO , , 1 , , 0:46 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2016-11-20, , Win, , align=left,

Kaisei Kondo Kaisei Kondo (近藤魁成) is a Japanese kickboxer, fighting out of Osaka, Japan. He was ranked the ninth best super featherweight kickboxer in the world by Combat Press between March and September 2022. Biography Early years The son of a ...

, , J-Network All Japan A-League Tournament, Semi Final, ,

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, , Decision (Unanimous), , , , , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inoue, Naoki 1997 births People from Toyohashi Japanese male karateka Japanese male mixed martial artists Flyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing karate Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Japanese practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters