“That was crazy” – Chatri Sityodtong reveals epic backstage scramble to solve Sage Northcutt situation

ONE Championship’s return to Japan got underway with an explosive ONE 165 card filled with high-octane battles despite a last-minute change that involved lightweight MMA superstar Sage Northcutt.

The Texas native was penciled in to face former divisional king Shinya Aoki inside the Ariake Arena last Sunday, January 28.

In an Instagram post during the live broadcast, ‘Super’ Sage cited ‘some last-minute visa issues’ to two of his cornermen as what forced him to pull out of the eagerly anticipated showdown in Tokyo.

Despite the unfortunate plot, the Japanese audience and the global fanbase still got a show, as former ONE bantamweight MMA king John Lineker stepped up to challenge ‘Tobikan Judan’ in an openweight MMA showdown.

However, replacing Sage Northcutt wasn’t the easiest of scenarios per ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

Speaking to ONE Championship shortly after the event, the lifelong martial artist revealed that he did his best to ensure – by hook or crook – the fans were going to witness Aoki compete in The Land of the Rising Sun.

Sityodtong said:

“I actually asked Tye Ruotolo to step in as his cornerman. Tye accepted to be his cornerman. But as it turns out, Sage wanted to have his corner, it’s understandable. So that fight fell apart, and immediately, I’m like, ‘Man, we just lost Shinya Aoki,’ potentially in his last fight ever.”

He added:

“And then I scrambled, and I remembered we have a backup fighter, John Lineker. And it's crazy because John was sitting in the stands and no one could find him. We didn’t know where he was in the stadium."

He concluded:

“You know, there’s 10,000 people, but nobody knew where he was. Then we had staff running around, running around. Then we put Shinya and made that fight, I think, around the opening ceremony. That was when the fight was made, and that was crazy.”

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Sage Northcutt needs a new name to carry on his momentum from 2023

Without his close-knit team at his corner, and as much as he would have loved to fight on the card, Sage Northcutt felt that he would have struggled to find the perfect plan to take out the Japanese martial arts icon.

With a potential Aoki fight something way out of the radar for now, ‘Super’ Sage must seek another clash against a top-drawer name in the stacked lightweight division.

Above all, after submitting Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE Fight Night 10 last year, Sage Northcutt must remain active if he wants to work all the way to the top of the ranks.