“The biggest fight of my career” – Sage Northcutt gears up for make-or-break clash against legendary Shinya Aoki

Despite being 13 years younger than his ONE 165 opponent, Shinya Aoki, Sage Northcutt knows he’ll be in for the fight of his life.

The American fan-favorite's showdown against ‘Tobikan Judan’ is finally happening on Jan. 28 at Ariake Arena in the promotion’s return to Tokyo, Japan.

‘Super’ Sage certainly understands the magnitude of this three-round lightweight MMA match-up and what a win would do for his career.

After all, he’ll be facing a mixed martial arts icon, with 47 career wins with 30 of those coming by submission.

Less than two weeks before they finally cross paths inside the Circle, Northcutt expressed his admiration for Aoki’s body of work.

He told ONE Championship in an exclusive interview:

“For me, it’s going to be great because he’s the former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion. A lot of people know him as a legend in the sport. He’s had almost 60 pro [MMA] fights, he’s one of the longest-reigning champions in ONE Championship. This is definitely the biggest fight of my career.”

ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru will air live on Sunday, Jan. 28, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.

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A win against Shinya Aoki could put Sage Northcutt in the lightweight MMA contendership

Following his stellar sub-minute win over Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE Fight Night 10 last year, Sage Northcutt wants to make up for lost time and make a run for the belt.

The former lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki, however, is a massive roadblock he must overcome first.

The Evolve MMA and Team Alpha Male standout must keep this match standing at all costs and avoid a grappling war with the feared submission hunter.

If Northcutt can notch his second straight win, in another impressive fashion, no less, then he’ll be on the shortlist of possible contenders for the division’s king Christian Lee.