Naoya Inoue successfully defended his IBF, WBC, and WBO super bantamweight titles by defeating TJ Doheny via TKO in the seventh round due to an injury.
MMA Fighting brings you live round-by-round updates for the highly anticipated Naoya Inoue vs. TJ Doheny championship fight. This event is taking place at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
The main event is set to start around 7 a.m. ET on ESPN+. For details on the undercard, check out our Inoue vs. Doheny results page.
Inoue, boasting a record of 27-0 with 24 KOs, aims to defend his IBF, WBC, and WBO super bantamweight titles once again. Recently, he knocked out Luis Nery in the sixth round this past May.
Doheny, with a record of 26-4 and 20 KOs, is a former IBF super bantamweight champ. He comes into this bout on a three-fight win streak against Kazuki Nakajima, Japhethlee Llamido, and Bryl Bayogos.
Follow our live blog below for updates on the Inoue vs. Doheny fight:
The main event is about to begin.
Inoue is making his walk to the ring now.
Referee Bence Kovacs will oversee this championship bout.
Round 1: Both fighters start cautiously at jab range. Inoue shows patience while flicking an aggressive jab; Doheny slips out of the corner. After 60 seconds, neither has landed anything significant. Doheny breaks the stalemate with a quick right to the body, but Inoue counters with a left. They trade body shots; Doheny jabs lightly, daring Inoue to make a mistake. Inoue finishes strong with a crisp jab, giving him a slight edge.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Inoue.
Round 2: Doheny keeps moving and jabbing as Inoue tries to walk him down. Doheny clinches quickly to push Inoue back. Inoue targets the body with hard rights; Doheny defends against the ropes but avoids follow-up punches. Another right from Inoue slips through Doheny’s defenses. A lunging left from Doheny connects, but Inoue replies with another body shot. They exchange combos as Doheny fights out of the corner. Another round for Inoue.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Inoue. Overall, 20-18 Inoue.
Round 3: The pace quickens as both men stay light on their feet; Inoue holds the center of the ring. He lands a right to the body while Doheny struggles to get past his gloves. Doheny scores with his left after several feints and follows up with a body shot. Good round for the challenger until Inoue snaps his head back with a jab.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Doheny. Overall, 29-28 Inoue.
Round 4: They trade jabs to the body; Inoue looks more aggressive now. Doheny connects with lefts while circling away from danger. Big moments for both fighters as they exchange clean shots and quick combos before the bell rings.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Inoue. Overall, 39-37 Inoue.
Round 5: Doheny starts aggressively but respects Inoue’s power when boxing out of corners. He lands two body shots; meanwhile, Inoue finds success with uppercuts and counter combos. Both fighters are landing shots; however, Doheny’s defense isn’t holding up as well as before.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Inoue. Overall, 49-46 Inoue.
Round 6: Inoue unleashes powerful rights to the body while Doheny responds with combinations that make him pay for those swings. The fight intensifies as both target each other’s bodies; however, Inoue’s power begins to show its effect.
MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9, Inoue. Overall, 59-55 Inoue.
Round 7: Just ten seconds in and it looks like something’s wrong with Doheny—maybe his back? Referee steps in and calls it off! Anticlimactic end just when things were heating up; nonetheless, the champion defends successfully.
Official result: Naoya Inoue def. TJ Doheny via TKO (injury) (R7, 0:16)