Naoki Tanaka (田中直樹, born 24 June 1992) is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

kickboxer, currently competing in the lightweight division of

RISE Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...

, where he is the incumbent champion. A professional competitor since 2015, Tanaka has spent his entire professional career with RISE. Combat Press ranks him as the #5 super bantamweight kickboxer in the world. He's been continually ranked in the top ten since November 2020, peaking at #6 in November and December 2020.

Kickboxing career

Background

Tanaka began training

Gōjū-ryū , Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Gō, which means hard, refers to closed hand techniques or straight linear attacks; jū, which me ...

karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...

at the age of five. After he entered junior high school, Tanaka went to his current gym, Paraestra Koiwa, with the intention of becoming a mixed martial artist. However, after taking a kickboxing class on his first day at the gym, Tanaka decided to become a professional kickboxer.

RISE

RISE Super Featherweight Rookies Cup

Tanaka made his professional debut against Shinji Totsu at RISE ZERO on June 7, 2015. He debut in the super featherweight (-60 kg) division of

, participating in the RISE Super Featherweight Rookies Cup. Tanaka won the opening round of the tournament by beating Totsu by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–27, 30–28 and 30–28. Tanaka was scheduled to face Tomo Janjira in the tournament quarterfinals, held at RISE ZERO on August 9, 2015. He won the fight by a second-round knockout. Tanaka faced Yuma Isencho in the tournament semifinals, at Rise 107 on October 12, 2015. He won the fight by a third-round knockout, knocking Isencho at the very last second of the bout. In the tournament final, Tanaka faced Yuya Fujita at Rise 110 on March 26, 2016. Tanaka won the fight by unanimous decision. Prior to this fight, Tanaka changed his ring name from "Naoki Tanaka" to "Naoki".

Move to lightweight

Tanaka was scheduled to face Fumiya Kawashima at Rise 112 on July 30, 2016, in a super lightweight bout, 5 kg heavier than his previous fights. Tanaka won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–29, 30–28 and 30–28. Tanaka was scheduled to face Keisuke Niwa at Rise 114 on November 25, 2016, in a lightweight (63 kg) bout. Tanaka was at the time the #5 ranked RISE lightweight, while Niwa came into the bout as the #4 ranked lightweight contender. Tanaka won the fight by a third-round knockout. He knocked Niwa down with a right straight after the halfway point of the third round, before stopping him with a left hook at the 2:21 minute mark. Tanaka was scheduled to face the former NJKF lightweight champion Ikki at Rise 115 on January 28, 2017. The fight was ruled a unanimous decision draw after the first three rounds were fought, with all three judges scoring the bout at event 29–29. Ikki was awarded a majority decision, after an extra round was fought.

Next Challenger Tournament

Tanaka participated in a four-man next challenger tournament, held to decide the next challenger for

Fukashi Mizutani Fukashi Mizutani (不可思, born 17 June 1991), known simply as Fukashi (ふかし), is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the super lightweight division of K-1. A professional competitor since 2008, he previously competed for KNOCKOUT ...

's lightweight title. Tanaka, who was at the time the #3 ranked lightweight contender, was scheduled to fight a rematch with the #5 ranked Fumiya Kawashima in the tournament semifinals at Rise 117 on May 20, 2017. The other semifinal pairing consisted of the #1 ranked Shohei Asahara and the #2 ranked Ikki. Tanaka made quick work of his semifinal opponent, needing only 58 seconds to knock Kawashima with a head kick. Tanaka faced Shohei Asahara in the tournament finals, held at Rise 118 on July 17, 2017. Following a relatively even first round, Asahara knocked Tanaka out with a devastating left hook six seconds into the second round. Tanaka was unable to make a quick recovery inside of the ring and had to be stretchered out.

Six–fight winning streak

Tanaka was scheduled to fight Tomohiro Kitai in the co-main event of Rise 122 on February 4, 2018. It was the first co-main event appearance of Tanaka's career. The fight was ruled a majority draw after the first three rounds were fought, with two judges scoring the bout an even 30–30, while the third judges scored it 30–29 for Kitai. Kitao won the fight by unanimous decision, after an extra round was fought. Tanaka was scheduled to face Vitor Toffanelli at Rise 124 on June 25, 2018. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–29, 30–29 and 30–28. Tanaka was scheduled to face Panuwat TGT at RISE EVOL.2 on February 8, 2019. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 30–27, 29–27 and 30–27. Tanaka scored the sole knockdown of the fight in the third round, through repeated body shots. Tanaka was scheduled to fight Mitsuru Nakao at RISE 131 on March 23, 2019. He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout, due to the three-knockdown rule. Tanaka scored the first knockdown with a right uppercut, while the second and third were scored with a right straight. During the post-fight interview, Tanaka called for a fight with the reigning RISE lightweight champion

Taiju Shiratori is a Japanese professional muay thai kickboxer and former boxer. A professional competitor since 2011, Shiratori began his career as a muay thai fighter, most notably winning the WPMF Japan title in 2013. Following an unsuccessful two year boxin ...

. Tanaka was scheduled to face the former J-Network lightweight champion Taisuke Maeguchi at RISE 133 on July 5, 2019. He won the fight by a first-round knockout, with Maeguchi succumbing to repeated punches with four seconds left in the round. Tanaka was scheduled to face Yoshimichi Matsumoto at RISE WORLD SERIES 2019 Final Round on September 16, 2019. Tanaka won the fight by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 29–28 in his favor. Tanaka fought Miki Shiraki for the vacant SWK 65 kg title at Suk Wan Kingthong Go to Raja on November 13, 2019. He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 49–47, 49–48 and 50–48.

RISE Dead or Alive 2020 Tournament

Qualification tournament

Tanaka was scheduled to participate in a four-man 2020 RISE Dead or Alive qualification tournament, held at RISE 136 on January 13, 2020. He faced the #1 ranked Rise lightweight Yuma Yamaguchi in the tournament semifinals, while the other semifinal pairing consisted of the #3 ranked Rise lightweight Tomohiro Kitai and NKB lightweight champion Kazuma Takahashi. Tanaka won the semifinal match against Yamaguchi by a third-round technical knockout, stopping his opponent with a series of strikes with only ten seconds left in the bout. Tanaka faced Tomohiro Kitai in the tournament finals. He knocked Kitai down twice in the second round, which resulted in an automatic technical knockout victory, due to the rules of the tournament.

Dead or Alive tournament

Tanaka was scheduled to face the former Rise lightweight champion

in the semifinals of the RISE DEAD OR ALIVE 2020 tournament, held on October 11, 2020.

Kento Haraguchi Haraguchi Kento (原口健飛, born 9 April 1998) is a Japanese kickboxer and former boxer, currently competing in the super lightweight division of RISE. He is the current ISKA Oriental Rules World Light Welterweight (-65 kg) champion, ...

and

Renta Nishioka is a retired Japanese kickboxer, who competed in Shootboxing and KNOCK OUT. He is the former Shootboxing Japan lightweight champion, having held the title between 2018 and 2022. Kickboxing career Early career Nishioka made his professional debu ...

contested the second semifinal bout. Tanaka won the fight by a first-round technical knockout. At the halfway point of the round, Tanaka landed a knee to the head of Shiratori which opened up a cut, prompting the referee to call in the ringside doctor. The doctor decided to stop the bout, deeming Shiratori unable to continue fighting. Tanaka advanced to the finals, where he faced the reigning Rise lightweight champion

. Haraguchi began pressuring Tanaka as soon as the fight started and managed to knock him down midway through the round. Although Tanaka was able to beat the eight-count, he was unsteady on his feet which prompted the referee to stop the fight.

RISE Lightweight champion

Tanaka was scheduled to fight Hideki for the vacant RISE Lightweight championship at RISE 145 on January 30, 2021. The fight was announced on the same day that the previous titleholder

vacated the belt. Tanaka was at the time the #2 ranked RISE lightweight contender, while the two-time lightweight title challenger Hideki came into the bout as the #1 ranked lightweight contender. Tanaka won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 48–46, 48–46 and 48–45. He scored two knockdowns, one each in the first and the fourth round. Tanaka was scheduled to face

, in a non-title bout, at RISE WORLD SERIES 2021 Yokohama on September 23, 2021. The fight was a rematch of their October 11, 2020 meeting in the semifinals of the 2020 Rise Dead or Alive tournament, which Tanaka won by a first-round technical knockout. Tanaka won the fight by unanimous decision, after an extra round was fought. Despite a slow start to the fight, Tanaka became more and more active as the bout went on and managed to fight Shiratori to a draw after the first three rounds. He convincingly won the extra round, with Shiratori being unable to mount any sustained offense. Tanaka was scheduled to face the former

Rajadamnern Stadium Rajadamnern Stadium (; ), also spelled ''Ratchadamnoen'', is a sporting arena in Bangkok, Thailand. Along with Lumpinee Boxing Stadium, Rajadamnern is one of the two main stadiums for modern Muay Thai. It hosts fights every Monday, Wednesday, ...

and WBC Muaythai lightweight champion Jaroenchai Liongym in a non-title bout at RISE 153 on December 12, 2021. Tanaka saw this as a showcase fight, saying before the fight: "I want to overwhelm a former world-class fighter and show that I can fight fighters who are currently world class". He won the fight by a third-round technical knockout. Tanaka first knocked Jaroenchai down with a check left hook as the latter was pressing forwards, before forcing the referee to wave the fight off with a flurry of unanswered punches. Tanaka vacated the Suk Wan Kingthong super lightweight title on March 17, 2022, as he was unable to make a title defense in the mandated time. Tanaka was booked to face the RISE Super Lightweight champion Kosei Yamada at RISE El Dorado 2022 on April 2, 2022, in a super lightweight non-title bout. He lost the fight by third round knockout after scoring a knockdown in the previous round. Tanaka faced the

Wu Lin Feng Wu Lin Feng (), also known as WLF, is a martial arts competition televised by Henan Television. It is the longest running martial arts program in China. Since 2007 the competition has become more international in nature, bringing in more chall ...

-63 kg World champion

Denis Wosik Denis Wosik (born 23 November 1996) is a German-Polish kickboxer, who currently competes in Glory. He is a former Wu Lin Feng -63 kg World Champion. As of November 2021 Combat Press ranked him as the #6 super bantamweight kickboxer in the ...

at Glory 81: Ben Saddik vs. Adegbuyi 2 on August 20, 2022, as part of the Glory and RISE agreement to periodically exchange fighters. He lost the fight by unanimous decision, with all five judges scoring the bout 30–26 for Wosik. Tanaka was knocked down with a spinning backfist in the second round and suffered a cut above his right eye in the third round. Tanaka faced the two-time WBC Muaythai title challenger

Chadd Collins Chadd "The Shark" Collins is an Australian professional Muay Thai fighter and kickboxer. He is the current Unified World Muay Thai Super Lightweight Champion, holding the WBC, WMC, and WMO World titles. As of October 2024, he is the #1 ranked Su ...

in a catchweight (-64 kg) bout at RISE World Series 2022 on October 15, 2022. He lost the fight by a second-round technical knockout. Tanaka was first knocked down with a left hook near the midway point of the second round and was stopped with a flurry of punches soon after. Tanaka made his first RISE lightweight title defense against

Kan Nakamura is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the lightweight division of RISE, where he is the current RISE lightweight champion. As of August 2024, he was ranked as the seventh best featherweight (-64 kg) kickboxer in the world by Beyond Ki ...

at RISE 167 on April 21, 2023. He lost the fight by majority decision, with two scorecards of 49–48 and one scorecard of 48–48. Tanaka was expected to make his return, following a 15-month absence from professional competition, against Frank-chan at RISE 180 on July 26, 2024. He withdrew from the fight on July 11, after suffering a fracture of the right fifth phalangeal bone.

Mixed martial arts career

On March 22, 2025, it was announced that Tanaka had begun training at FIGHTER'S FLOW and would transition to mixed martial arts later in the year. Tanaka made his mixed martial arts debut against Takahiro Okuyama at DEEP 125 Impact on May 5, 2025. He won the fight by a first-round knockout.

Championships and accomplishments

*Suk Wan Kingthong ** 2019 Suk Wan Kingthong 65 kg Champion *

** 2016 RISE Super Featherweight Rookies Cup Winner ** 2020 RISE Lightweight Qualification Tournament Winner ** 2020 RISE Dead or Alive Lightweight Tournament Runner-up ** 2021 RISE Lightweight Championship

Mixed martial arts record

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Osaka is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...

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Kickboxing and Muay Thai record

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Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

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, , KO (Punches), , 2, , 1:42 , - , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2022-08-20 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , Glory 81: Ben Saddik vs. Adegbuyi 2 , , Düsseldorf, Germany , , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="text-align:center; background:#fbb" , 2022-04-02 , , Loss, , align=left, Kosei Yamada , , RISE El Dorado 2022 , ,

, , KO (Punches), , 3 , , 0:24 , - , - style="text-align:center; background:#cfc" , 2021-12-12, , Win , , align=left, Jaroenchai Liongym , , RISE 153 , ,

, , TKO (Punches), , 3 , , 0:46 , - style="text-align:center; background:#cfc;" , 2021-09-23, , Win , , align=left,

, , RISE WORLD SERIES 2021 Yokohama , ,

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, , Ext. R. Decision (Unanimous), , 4 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2021-01-30 , , Win , , align=left, Hideki Sasaki , , RISE 145 , , Bunkyo, Tokyo,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2020-10-11 , , Loss , , align=left,

, , RISE DEAD OR ALIVE 2020 Yokohama, Tournament Finals , ,

, , TKO (Punches) , , 1 , , 1:53 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2020-10-11 , , Win , , align=left,

, , RISE DEAD OR ALIVE 2020 Yokohama, Tournament Semifinals , ,

, , TKO (Cut to Forehead) , , 1 , , 1:30 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2020-01-13 , , Win , , align=left, Tomohiro Kitai , , RISE 136, Tournament Final , ,

, , TKO (Two knockdown rule) , , 2 , , 2:50 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2020-01-13 , , Win , , align=left, Yuma Yamaguchi , , RISE 136, Tournament Semifinal , ,

, , TKO (Two knockdown rule) , , 3 , , 2:50 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2019-11-13 , , Win , , align=left, Miki Shiraki , , Suk Wan Kingthong Go to Raja , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 5 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2019-09-16 , , Win , , align=left, Yoshimichi Matsumoto , , RISE WORLD SERIES 2019 Final Round , , Chiba,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2019-07-05 , , Win , , align=left, Taison Maeguchi , , RISE 133 , ,

, , KO (Punches) , , 1 , , 2:56 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2019-03-23 , , Win , , align=left, Mitsuru Nakao , , RISE 131 , ,

, , TKO (Three knockdown rule) , , 2 , , 1:31 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2019-02-08 , , Win , , align=left, Panuwat TGT , , RISE EVOL.2 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2018-05-25 , , Win , , align=left, Vitor Toffanelli , , Rise 124 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2018-02-04 , , Loss , , align=left, Tomohiro Kitai , , Rise 122 , ,

, , Ext. R. Decision (Unanimous) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2017-07-17 , , Loss , , align=left, Shohei Asahara , , Rise 118, Tournament Final , ,

, , KO (Left hook) , , 2 , , 0:06 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2017-05-20 , , Win , , align=left, Fumiya Kawashima , , Rise 117, Tournament Semifinal , ,

, , KO (Head kick) , , 1 , , 0:58 , - style="background:#fbb;" , 2017-01-28 , , Loss , , align=left, Ikki , , Rise 115 , ,

, , Ext. R. Decision (Majority) , , 4 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2016-11-25 , , Win , , align=left, Keisuke Niwa , , Rise 114 , ,

, , KO (Left hook) , , 3 , , 2:21 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2016-07-30 , , Win , , align=left, Fumiya Kawashima , , Rise 112 , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2016-03-26 , , Win , , align=left, Yuya Fujita , , Rise 110, Tournament Final , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous), , 3 , , 3:00 , - ! style=background:white colspan=9 , , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2015-10-12 , , Win , , align=left, Yuma Isencho , , Rise 107, Tournament Semifinal , ,

, , KO , , 3 , , 3:00 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2015-08-09 , , Win , , align=left, Tomo Janjira , , RISE ZERO, Tournament Quarterfinal , ,

, , TKO , , 2 , , 2:07 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 2015-06-07 , , Win , , align=left, Shinji Totsu , , RISE ZERO, Tournament Opening Round , ,

, , Decision (Unanimous) , , 3 , , 3:00 , - , colspan=9 , ''Legend'':

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tanaka, Naoki 1992 births Living people Bantamweight kickboxers Japanese male kickboxers Kickboxers from Tokyo Gōjū-ryū practitioners