Naoki Inoue appears to be like to increase his reign as RIZIN bantamweight champion when he faces off with DEEP titleholder Ryuya Fukuda at Tremendous RIZIN 4, which matches down Sunday morning in Saitama, Japan
Plus, Inoue would additionally introduce him to worldwide viewers as one of many world’s finest bantamweights and open doorways for larger challenges on the market.
“My dream struggle can be combating the present UFC bantamweight champion,” Inoue informed MMA Combating by way of a translator. “Nonetheless, proper now the present bantamweight champion is Merab [Dvalishvili] and I used to coach him with him, so I don’t actually need to name him out as a result of we all know one another, we skilled collectively. However my dream is to struggle the hardest man on the market, which might be the UFC bantamweight champion. That’s one factor that I might undoubtedly need to attempt. Or anyone on the market in title rivalry.”
Inoue fought twice within the UFC again in 2018, when he was nonetheless competing as a flyweight, defeating Carls John de Tomas and shedding to Matt Schnell.
“There are a variety of powerful guys within the PFL,” Inoue stated. “I’ve additionally appreciated to face Sergio Pettis. He additionally fought in RIZIN as soon as, I feel that may be a enjoyable matchup. There’s a variety of powerful guys on the market that I’d need to struggle.”
Profitable a champion vs. champion conflict with Fukuda can be enormous for RIZIN’s native aspirations, however Inoue can be keen to face non-Japanese expertise sooner or later. RIZIN stars Kleber Koike and Roberto Satoshi informed MMA Combating previously they really feel like representing RIZIN in these conditions, however Inoue appears to be like at it from a special perspective.
“I’ve all the time wished to struggle worldwide powerful competitors to proceed to problem myself,” Inoue stated. “Clearly, it looks like Kleber and Satoshi each have a robust feeling the place they need to defend and defend Japan or, you recognize, defend RIZIN and struggle for RIZIN in a method. However, for me, if I could possibly be extraordinarily egocentric, I need to struggle powerful fighters for myself. I need to face more durable competitors, more durable worldwide competitors, to boost my skills. And if that results in proving RIZIN is primary, that’s nice, it really works out. However for me, I’ve extra of a egocentric mentality. I do that for myself and I would like powerful competitors to boost my skills.
“I consider RIZIN is the No. 1 group in Japan, and the RIZIN champion needs to be the perfect in Japan. That’s a no brainer. That’s my mentality. In latest instances, there was some more durable worldwide competitors, worldwide fighters coming into the RIZIN bantamweight division. With all that stated, my plan is to proceed to be the champion and proceed to show that RIZIN has the perfect fighters not solely in Japan, however they will go in opposition to the worldwide world competitors as properly.”
The 28-year-old expertise stays targeted on the duty forward this weekend, trying to go 10-2 contained in the RIZIN ring with a second profitable title protection after beating Soo Chul Kim and Yuki Motoya to win and defend the belt. Fukuda is 25-8-1 within the sport, and likewise 9-2 in his house promotion, however already holds an ideal 3-0 underneath the RIZIN banner with a trio of stoppages over Masayuki Watanabe, Erson Yamamoto and Ryusei Ashizawa.
“He has been completed only a few instances,” Inoue stated of Fukuda. “Clearly I’ve been coaching to complete him. I’ve been engaged on some conditions the place I can end him, submit him. I’ve sport plans the place I can edge him out by a choice. I’ve been engaged on numerous conditions in opposition to Fukuda. However as you’ve got talked about, he’s a really powerful fighter and he’s been completed only a few instances. I’ve been analyzing the struggle the place he really obtained completed, making an attempt to search for his weak spots. I’ve been finding out him so much. I can struggle him wherever the struggle takes it and I’m gonna attempt to end him.”
