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 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.

Mixed martial arts record

Amateur mixed martial arts record