Naoki Inoue
Naoki Inoue (); born June 14, 1997 in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the flyweight division. A professional mixed martial artist since 2014, Inoue has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Mixed martial arts career. 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. 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 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 on September 23, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 117, but was pulled from the card due to a dislocated shoulder. Inoue faced Matt Schnell on June 23, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 132. 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 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 on December 31, 2021 at Rizin 33. He lost  the bout via unanimous decision. Amateur Kickboxing record. ! style=background:white |