“It’s been a long road” – Shinya Aoki reflects on legendary career after $50,000 bonus-winning performance over John Lineker

Former ONE lightweight world champion Shinya Aoki will go down as one of the most prolific finishers in MMA once it’s all said and done.

With 31 submissions in 60 career matches, the Japanese icon has been terrorizing the best fighters in the world with his feared grappling style for over two decades.

‘Tobikan Judan’s' legend grew even more over the weekend at ONE 165, when he submitted John Lineker in front of his hometown fans at Ariake, Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Aoki was thrown a curveball just hours before the fight after his original opponent Sage Northcutt backed out due to visa issues with his cornermen.

Ever the consummate professional, ‘The Grand Master of Flying Submissions’ still went into battle against the short-notice replacement Lineker and put on a show.

It didn’t take long for the grizzled veteran to take the fight to the ground, forcing the hard-hitting Brazilian to be on the defensive.

Shinya Aoki did what he does best, passing Lineker’s guard and finding a way to take his back. The 40-year-old then sunk in a nasty neck crank that contorted ‘Hands of Stone’s' neck, forcing him to yield in submission.

Apart from snapping his recent skid, Aoki also took home a cool $50,000 bonus for his sensational display.

In his in-ring interview with Mitch Chilson, an elated Aoki reflected on his Hall of Fame career while being cheered on by his loyal supporters:

“It’s been a long road, and I have just one word - Thank you! I’ve earned a lot of these 50k bonuses and in the same way that I love ONE Championship, I would love ONE Championship to love me back.”

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE 165 replay can be watched on demand via watch.onefc.com.

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Shinya Aoki admits initial frustration after Sage Northcutt’s shocking withdrawal

Shinya Aoki has been in there with some of the biggest names in the sport.

However, ‘Tobikan Judan’ admited facing a different opponent on just hours’ notice frustrated him.

Still, the Japanese warrior rolled with the punches and took on the challenge head-on. Aoki told ONE after the event:

“I want to say that I’m really satisfied with my performance. Within my career, today was the first time ever that I lost an opponent [before the fight] and I was on the verge of tears.”