Naoki Inoue
Introduction
Naoki Inoue (Japanese: 井上直樹); born June 14, 1997 in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan is an undefeated Japanese mixed martial artist. He competes in the flyweight division and is currently signed with 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 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.
Mixed martial arts record
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 11 matches | 11 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 0 | 0 |
| By submission | 7 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jenel Lausa | UFC Fight Night 117 | 000000002017-09-23-0000September 23, 2017 | Saitama, Japan | ||||||
| Win | 11–0 | Carls John de Tomas | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Holm vs. Correia | 000000002017-06-17-0000June 17, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Kallang, Singapore | |
| Win | 10–0 | Tomohiro Adaniya | Decision (majority) | Deep - 78 Impact | 000000002017-03-18-0000March 18, 2017 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | . |
| Win | 9–0 | Yuya Shibata | Submission (armbar) | Deep - Cage Impact 2016 in Osaka | 000000002016-10-09-0000October 9, 2016 | 2 | 2:51 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 8–0 | Go Minamide | Decision (majority) | Deep - 77 Impact / Jewels 13 | 000000002016-08-27-0000August 27, 2016 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 7–0 | Naoyuki Kato | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Deep - Nagoya Impact: Kobudo Fight | 000000002016-06-12-0000June 12, 2016 | 1 | 0:44 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 6–0 | Iyori Akiba | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Deep - Cage Impact 2016 | 000000002016-04-23-0000April 23, 2016 | 1 | 4:32 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 5–0 | Chikara Shimabukuro | Decision (unanimous) | Deep - 74 Impact | 000000002015-12-20-0000December 20, 2015 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 4–0 | Kenji Yamanaka | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Deep - 72 Impact | 000000002015-05-16-0000May 16, 2015 | 1 | 2:21 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 3–0 | Kanta Sato | Submission (armbar) | Deep - Nagoya Impact: Kobudo Fight | 000000002015-03-08-0000March 8, 2015 | 1 | 2:49 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 2–0 | Icho Tomonaga | Submission (armbar) | Deep - Future King Tournament 2014 | 000000002015-02-01-0000February 1, 2015 | 1 | 0:49 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 1–0 | Takuya Maruoka | Submission (armbar) | Deep - Future King Tournament 2014 | 000000002015-02-01-0000February 1, 2015 | 1 | 3:21 | Tokyo, Japan |
Amateur mixed martial arts record
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 2-0 | Kenichi Kimura | Decision (Unanimous) | Deep - Amateur Deep 20: Kobudo Fight | 000000002014-03-02-0000March 2, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Win | 1-0 | Gaku Sakamoto | Submission (armbar) | Deep - Nagoya Impact 2014 | 000000002014-02-09-0000February 9, 2014 | 1 | 3:04 | Tokyo, Japan | . |