Naoki Inoue defended his RIZIN bantamweight title by split decision against Yuki Motoya in the main event of RIZIN 50 in Kagawa, Japan on Sunday.
Inoue, who previously won the title in September, controlled the fight with fast and accurate striking combinations, primarily using his jab. Motoya attempted a guillotine choke, but Inoue escaped and continued to dominate in the stand-up exchanges.
Inoue, who had submitted Motoya in their prior 2020 match, opened a cut near Motoya`s left eye. Needing a finish in the final round, Motoya took Inoue down and attempted ground-and-pound and several submissions. In the closing seconds, Motoya abandoned a submission attempt to throw punches just before the fight concluded.
Ultimately, Inoue, the brother of UFC fighter Mizuki Inoue, kept his title despite a swollen right eye. He apologized to the audience for his performance in the post-fight interview.
“I apologize for not performing well tonight,” Inoue stated through a translator. “As you can see, I had trouble seeing out of my eye. I will keep improving and aim to be a champion who finishes fights.”
In the co-main event, Karshyga Dautbek extended his winning streak to 10 with a close split decision win over former RIZIN champion Chihiro Suzuki.
Earlier, Shunta Nomura was awarded a technical decision victory after an accidental head clash with Luiz Gustavo. The ringside doctor stopped the fight in the final round due to a cut and bleeding, leading to a judges` decision.
The early part of the event featured several decisive finishes, including King Edkpolo`s ground and pound victory over Ryo Sakai, and quick knockouts by Shuya Kimura and Kyohei Hagiwara.
For complete RIZIN 50 results, please refer to official sources.
