Naoki Tanaka (田中直樹, born 24 June 1992) is a Japanese kickboxer, currently competing in the lightweight division of RISE, where he is the incumbent champion.
After he entered junior high school, Tanaka went to his current gym, Paraestra Koiwa, with the intention of becoming a mixed martial artist.
[8] 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.
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.
[12] Tanaka made quick work of his semifinal opponent, needing only 58 seconds to knock Kawashima with a head kick.
During the post-fight interview, Tanaka called for a fight with the reigning RISE lightweight champion Taiju Shiratori.
He won the fight by a first-round knockout, with Maeguchi succumbing to repeated punches with four seconds left in the round.
[22] Tanaka was scheduled to face Yoshimichi Matsumoto at RISE WORLD SERIES 2019 Final Round on September 16, 2019.
[24] Tanaka fought Miki Shiraki for the vacant SWK 65 kg title at Suk Wan Kingthong Go to Raja on November 13, 2019.
[26] 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.
He knocked Kitai down twice in the second round, which resulted in an automatic technical knockout victory, due to the rules of the tournament.
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.
[33] 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.
[35] 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 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.
[42] Tanaka faced the two-time WBC Muaythai title challenger Chadd Collins in a catchweight (-64 kg) bout at RISE World Series 2022 on October 15, 2022.
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.