“I’m looking forward to making that happen” – Sage Northcutt explains why he only has Shinya Aoki on his radar

Since making his return to the circle earlier this year at ONE Fight Night 10, Sage Northcutt has had one opponent in mind for his next contest.

During his extended period of absence from competition, there was talk of ‘Super’ Sage facing MMA legend and pioneer Shinya Aoki for his comeback fight.

In the end, the fight didn’t come together due to Northcutt’s long-lasting effects from COVID-19. Now, the American is back and ready to make up for lost time.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, he spoke about still wanting to tick Aoki off the list having spent a long time thinking about that specific matchup:

“So well I know that since my fight that I had last May 5 versus Amed Mujtaba, afterwards there's been talks of a Shinya Aoki fight. So it looks like that's the fight that's going to happen, against Shinya Aoki. I’m so looking forward to making that happen, that's the plan, and hopefully by the beginning of this year coming up.”

Watch the full interview below:

---

Sage Northcutt looking to keep up the momentum of his return

When Sage Northcutt did eventually make his long-awaited return to competition, he did it in style.

Receiving a hero’s welcome in Broomfield, Colorado, for ONE’s on-ground US debut event, it didn’t take long for ‘Super’ Sage to earn his first win inside the circle.

After submitting Ahmed Mujtaba in just under 40 seconds in May, Northcutt is hoping that a fight with Aoki in the new year will continue to add to his incredible comeback.

ONE Championship is set to return for another huge night at the Lumpinee Boxing Stadium with ONE Fight Night 17 on December 9, live and free on Prime Video in U.S. primetime.