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American MMA fighter Sage Northcutt is set to fight with Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in a three-round MMA contest at ONE 165 on January 28.
Inside the massive Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, 'Super' Sage will face a former ONE lightweight MMA world champion and one of the greatest jiu-jitsu purists MMA has ever seen.
Since Northcutt's origin martial art was karate, most fans and pundits are seeing this bout as a "striker versus grappler" contest. However, Sage Northcutt wouldn't discount the fact that he might be able to beat Aoki in his world.
'Super' Sage told ONE:
“He’s never been submitted in mixed martial arts, ever. So that’d be pretty insane if I was able to submit Shinya out there in MMA. That’d be something.”
One of the most amazing things about Aoki's legendary career is that in over two decades, across 59 professional MMA bouts, no one's been able to make 'Tobikan Judan' tap. Add that on top of his staggering 30 submission wins, then it's easy to say that submitting the legend might be next to impossible
If Northcutt pulls it off, however, it will surely be the talk of MMA media for weeks.
Sage Northcutt showcased his underrated grappling in his last performance
It seems Northcutt has a bit of a chance to achieve the impossible against his Japanese foe. At ONE Fight Night 10 last year, Sage Northcutt made his much-awaited return inside the circle by submitting Pakistani MMA fighter, Ahmed Mujtaba.
Despite not being known for his submissions, Sage Northcutt won the bout via a swift heel hook that was one of the evening's highlights. However, the win didn't come without some early troubles first.
Mujtaba sent Northcutt to the canvas with a strong jab early. The American MMA star, however, showed great resolve by regaining his composure fast. Soon after, he started working his submission game from the guard.
'Super' Sage eventually found a way to clamp a quick heel hook that forced his Mujtaba to tap out at just 39 seconds of the bout.
