Naoki Tanaka (田中直樹, Tanaka Naoki; born 24 June 1992) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the lightweight division of RISE, 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.
Contents
Kickboxing career
Background
Tanaka began training Gōjū-ryū karate 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
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 RISE, 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".
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.
Tanaka participated in a four-man next challenger tournament, held to decide the next challenger for Fukashi Mizutani'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.
RISE Dead or Alive 2020 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.
Tanaka was scheduled to face the former Rise lightweight champion Taiju Shiratori in the semifinals of the RISE DEAD OR ALIVE 2020 tournament, held on October 11, 2020. Kento Haraguchi and Renta Nishioka 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 Kento Haraguchi. 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 Kento Haraguchi 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 Taiju Shiratori, 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 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 -63 kg World champion Denis Wosik 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.
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.
Tanaka made his Rizin FF debut against Takahiro Ashida at Super Rizin 4 on July 27, 2025. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
Championships and accomplishments
Suk Wan Kingthong
2019 Suk Wan Kingthong 65 kg Champion
RISE
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