Naoki Inoue

Naoki Inoue (; born 14 June 1997) is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the bantamweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation, where he is a former Rizin Bantamweight champion. A professional mixed martial artist since 2014, Inoue has also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

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 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.

On January 11, 2019, it was reported that Inoue was removed from the UFC roster.

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.

Later bantamweight career 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 and won by submission via kimura in the second round.

Inoue faced the former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Juan Archuleta at Rizin 42 on May 6, 2023. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.

Inoue was scheduled to face Shinobu Ota at Rizin Landmark 6 on October 1, 2023. However, Inoue withdrew from the bout due to an unknown reason and was replaced by Shoko Sato.

Inoue faced Shoko Sato at RIZIN Landmark 9 on March 23, 2024. He went on to win the bout via unanimous decision.

Rizin Bantamweight champion Inoue faced Kim Soo-chul for the vacant Rizin Bantamweight Championship on September 29, 2024 at Rizin 48. He won the bout via technical knockout in the first round.

In his first title defense, Inoue faced Yuki Motoya on March 29, 2026, at Rizin 50. He won the fight via split decision.

Inoue made his second title defense against Ryuya Fukuda on July 25, 2025, at Super Rizin 4. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

For his third title defense, Inoue faced Danny Sabatello on December 31, 2025, at Rizin: Shiwasu no Cho Tsuwamono Matsuri. He lost the title via split decision.

Post-championship Inoue faced Marcirley Alves in a crossover fight between PFL and Rizin on May 23, 2026, at PFL Brussels. He won the fight via split decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Bantamweight Championship (One time) Two successful title defenses

Mixed martial arts record Win

Marcirley Alves Decision (split) PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson

Brussels, Belgium Loss

Danny Sabatello Decision (split) Rizin: Shiwasu no Cho Tsuwamono Matsuri

Saitama, Japan Win

Ryuya Fukuda Decision (unanimous) Super Rizin 4

Saitama, Japan Win

Yuki Motoya Decision (split) Rizin 50

Takamatsu, Japan Win

Soo Chul Kim TKO (punches) Rizin 48

Saitama, Japan Win

Shoko Sato Decision (unanimous) Rizin Landmark 9

Kobe, Japan Loss

Juan Archuleta Decision (unanimous) Rizin 42

Tokyo, Japan Win

Kenta Takizawa Submission (kimura) Rizin 40

Saitama, Japan Loss

Hiromasa Ougikubo Decision (unanimous) Rizin 33

Saitama, Japan Win

Yuto Hokamura Decision (unanimous) Rizin 30

Saitama, Japan Win

Shintaro Ishiwatari KO (punches and soccer kick) Rizin 28

Tokyo, Japan Win

Yuki Motoya Submission (rear-naked choke) Rizin 26

Saitama, Japan Win

Shooto Watanabe Submission (rear-naked choke) Rizin 22

Yokohama, Japan Win

Trent Girdham Decision (unanimous) Rizin 21

Hamamatsu, Japan Win

Toshiaki Kitada Submission (rear-naked choke) DEEP 93 Impact

Tokyo, Japan Loss

Sean Santella Decision (unanimous) Cage Fury FC 72

Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Loss

Matt Schnell Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards

Kallang, Singapore Win

Carls John de Tomas Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia

Kallang, Singapore Win

Tomohiro Adaniya Decision (majority) DEEP 78 Impact

Tokyo, Japan Win

Yuya Shibata Submission (armbar) DEEP Cage Impact 2016 in Osaka

Tokyo, Japan Win

Go Minamide Decision (majority) DEEP 77 Impact

Tokyo, Japan Win

Naoyuki Kato Submission (rear-naked choke) DEEP Nagoya Impact: Kobudo Fight 17

Tokyo, Japan Win

Iyori Akiba Submission (rear-naked choke) DEEP Cage Impact 2016

Tokyo, Japan Win

Chikara Shimabukuro Decision (unanimous) DEEP 74 Impact

Tokyo, Japan Win

Kenji Yamanaka Submission (rear-naked choke) DEEP 72 Impact

Tokyo, Japan Win

Kanta Sato Submission (armbar) DEEP Nagoya Impact: Kobudo Fight 16

Tokyo, Japan Amateur mixed martial arts record Win

Kenichi Kimura Decision (Unanimous) Deep - Amateur Deep 20: Kobudo Fight

Tokyo, Japan Win

Gaku Sakamoto Submission (armbar) Deep - Nagoya Impact 2014

Tokyo, Japan

Amateur Kickboxing record