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PFL Bantamweight

Marcirley Alves VS Naoki Inoue

ING Arena, Brussels, Belgium

Tale of the Tape

Marcirley Alves VS Naoki Inoue
15-6-0 Record 21-4-0
26 Age 28
163 cm Height 175 cm
— Reach 180 cm
— Stance orthodox
67% Finish rate 52%
67% KO rate 10%
0% Sub rate 43%

Result Summary

Naoki Inoue def. Marcirley Alves Decision (split) · R3 5:00

Naoki Inoue defeated Marcirley Alves by split decision in a bantamweight bout on the main card of PFL Brussels: Habirora vs. Henderson in Brussels on May 23, 2026. The fight went the full three rounds, with two judges scoring it 29-28 for Inoue while a third judge scored it 30-27 for Alves. The bout was a cross-promotional matchup between 2025 PFL bantamweight tournament champion Alves and former three-time RIZIN bantamweight titleholder Inoue, who was seeking to rebound after losing the RIZIN title to Danny Sabatello on New Year’s Eve 2025. The lone dissenting card — awarding every round to Alves — reflected how closely the fight was contested over fifteen minutes.

Fight Overview

A PFL-versus-RIZIN crossover clash puts 2025 PFL World Tournament Bantamweight Champion Marcirley Alves (14-4) against three-time RIZIN Bantamweight Champion Naoki Inoue (20-5), with RIZIN loaning the Japanese veteran for this inter-promotional showcase. Alves is a relentless forward-pressure striker with 10 of 14 wins by stoppage, while Inoue is a technical all-rounder with a karate base and sharp submission game, making this a genuine styles clash between champions of two elite organisations.

Keys to Victory

Marcirley Alves

  1. Force a fast-paced striking battle in the pocket where his power and forward pressure are most effective.
  2. Use feints and level changes to create openings for his heavy combinations and disrupt Inoue's technical rhythm.
  3. Control distance aggressively to prevent Inoue from setting up the timing-based counters that underpin his game.

Naoki Inoue

  1. Employ his technical karate footwork to stay on the outside and counter Alves's forward rushes with precision.
  2. Look for opportunistic grappling transitions when Alves commits to exchanges, targeting submission finishes.
  3. Use ring generalship and IQ to break Alves's rhythm and force him into defensive scrambles where he is less dangerous.

Last 5 fights

Marcirley Alves

  1. W Justin Wetzell Decision · R5 5:00 · 15 AUG 2025
  2. W Jake Hadley Decision · R3 5:00 · 20 JUN 2025
  3. W Leandro Higo Decision · R3 5:00 · 11 APR 2025
  4. L Sarvarjon Khamidov Decision · R3 5:00 · 22 JUN 2024
  5. W Jerrell Hodge KO · R1 3:53 · 11 AUG 2023

Naoki Inoue

  1. W Ryuya Fukuda Decision · R3 5:00 · 27 JUL 2025
  2. W Yuki Motoya Decision · R3 5:00 · 29 MAR 2025
  3. W Kim Soo-chul TKO · R1 3:55 · 29 SEPT 2024
  4. W Shoko Sato Decision · R3 5:00 · 23 MAR 2024
  5. L Juan Archuleta Decision · R3 5:00 · 6 MAY 2023

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AI-generated This analysis was generated with AI and may contain errors.

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