Naoshima Inoue appears to be trying to extend his rule as the Lysin Bantamweight champion.
Additionally, Inoue also introduces him to international audiences and introduces the open door for the bigger challenges as one of the best bantamweights in the world.
“My dream battle was to fight the current UFC bantamweight champion,” Inoue said that MMA will fight through a translator. “But for now the current bantamweight champion is Merab (dvalishvili) and I was training with him, so we know each other, so we don’t want to call him.
Inouye competed in the UFC in 2018. He was still competing as a flyweight, beating Carls John de Thomas and losing to Matt Schnell.
“There are a lot of tough people in the PFL,” Inoue said. “I also liked to face Sergio Pettis. He’s also fought at Lysin. I think it’s going to be a fun matchup. There are a lot of tough guys I want to fight.”
Winning a champion-champion conflict with Fukuda is a big deal for Lynne’s local aspirations, but Inouye is willing to face talent outside of Japan in the future. It has been felt that Lysin stars Clever Koek and Roberto Satoshi would represent Lysin in such circumstances in the fight for MMA in the past, but Inouye sees it from a different perspective.
“I always wanted to fight against the tough international competition to keep challenging myself,” Inoue said. “It seems that both Clever and Satoshi both want to protect and protect Japan, or to protect Lysin and fight for Lysin. But for me, if I can be very selfish, I want to fight tough fighters for myself. Me, I will do this for myself.
“Lysine is the number one organization in Japan, and Lysine’s champion should be the best in Japan. That’s my way of thinking. Recently, there have been some tough international competition, international fighters coming to the Lysine Bantamweight division. Good.”
The 28-year-old talent is focusing on the task ahead this weekend, and is considering going 10-2 within the Lising Ring on his second title defense after defeating Suchul Kim and Yuki Motoya to win and defending the belt. Fukuda is 25-8-1 in the sport and 9-2 in his home promotion, but already has a perfect 3-0 under the Resin Banner, with a trio of Watanabe, Yamamoto and along the Nishikai River.
“He’s finished a lot several times,” Inoue said of Fukuda. “Obviously I’ve been trained to finish him. I’m working on some situations that can end him. There’s a game plan that can decide him. I’m working on a variety of situations against Fukuda. But like you said, he’s a very tough fighter and he’s finished a few times. I’m going to finish him.”