Inoue will take on former four-division titleholder Kazuto Ioka in his maiden defense, and although the Japanese great may now be 37 years old, he is certainly still a threat. It looked like Ioka’s best years were behind him following back-to-back defeats to Fernando Martinez in 2024 and 2025, but Ioka bounced back with a knockout win over Maikel Ordosgoitti in December to secure his title shot.
