Naoki Inoue defended his bantamweight title at RIZIN 50 in Kagawa, Japan, defeating Yuki Motoya by split decision in the main event.
Inoue, defending his title for the first time since winning it against Soo Chul Kim in September, dominated the stand-up exchanges with fast, accurate combinations, primarily using jabs. Motoya attempted a guillotine choke to turn the tide, but Inoue escaped and regained control in the stand-up.
Inoue, who previously defeated Motoya by rear-naked choke in 2020, opened a cut near Motoya`s left eye. Needing a finish in the final round, Motoya secured a takedown and attempted ground-and-pound and submissions. In the closing seconds, he abandoned the submission to throw punches until the bell.
Despite a closed right eye, Inoue, brother of UFC fighter Mizuki Inoue, retained his title and apologized to the crowd for his performance in the post-fight interview.
Inoue stated, “I apologize for the poor performance. As you can see, I couldn`t see out of my eye. I will continue to improve and aim to be a champion who finishes fights.”
In the co-main event, Karshyga Dautbek extended his winning streak to 10 with a split decision victory over former RIZIN champion Chihiro Suzuki.
Earlier, Shunta Nomura won by technical decision against Luiz Gustavo after an accidental head clash. The ringside doctor stopped the fight due to a cut, leading to a judges` decision.
The early card featured several finishes, including King Edkpolo`s ground and pound victory over Ryo Sakai and quick knockouts by Shuya Kimura and Kyohei Hagiwara.
