In other organizations such as the WEC he would be considered a featherweight as Shooto"s 143 pounds weight class is known as lightweight. MMAFighting
2006 Featherweight Fighter of the Year
Shooto
Shooto Lightweight Championship (Two times).
On May 12, 2006 Inoue defeated Antonio Carvalho by TKO in the first round to become the Shooto World Lightweight (143 lbs) champion which he would go on to lose in his first title defense against Akitoshi Tamura on May 18, 2007. On November 8, 2007, he defeated Katsuya Toida to become the Pacific Rim Lightweight Champion. Inoue would eventually win back the Shooto World Championon November 29, 2008 after defeating Hideki Kadowaki by unanimous decision at Shooto"s Tradition 4 show. 2004 Shooto Lightweight Rookie Tournament Winner.
He successfully defended his title against Rumina Sato, before losing it to Hatsu Hioki at Shooto - The Way of Shooto 3: Like a Tiger, Like a Dragon.
