“This is going to be exciting for Japan” – Sage Northcutt raves about stacked ONE 165 megaevent in Tokyo

Multiple-time karate world champion Sage Northcutt is excited for the megaevent happening in Japan this weekend that he will be part of. He said it is something great to start off the year in the Land of the Rising Sun.

‘Super’ Sage is featured at ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru on Sunday, January 28, in Tokyo. He will be going up against Japanese legend Shinya Aoki in a lightweight MMA showdown.

The clash is part of an 11-fight offering happening at the Ariake Arena and marks the return of ONE Championship to Japan after nearly five years.

Speaking to the promotion in the lead-up to ONE 165, Sage Northcutt of the United States shared his thoughts on the marquee event just as he vowed to make his match exciting and come away with a finish.

The 27-year-old Evolve MMA/Team Alpha Male affiliate said:

“Oh, I think it's huge starting off the year, January 28, ONE 165, with a great performance. That's what I'm looking forward to. I like to finish my fights if I'm able to, to make it the most exciting for all the fans as possible.”

He added:

“I think getting to fight on such an amazing card. It's been several years since ONE Championship has been to Japan. This is huge, you know? And I heard that there might be some more fights in the future in Japan, too. So this is definitely, definitely going to be exciting for Japan.”

At ONE 165, Sage Northcutt is angling to make it back-to-back wins since returning from a four-year hiatus for various medical reasons.

He was impressive in his comeback last May, stopping Pakistani fighter Ahmed Mujtaba by submission (heel hook) in just 39 seconds.

For his part, Shinya Aoki, 40, tries to defend home turf by coming up with a statement win in his “East vs. West” clash with Northcutt.

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

Sage Northcutt pumped up amid cold treatment from Shinya Aoki

Ahead of their lightweight MMA clash, American martial artist Sage Northcutt has been on the receiving end of a cold treatment from opponent Shinya Aoki. While he finds it surprising, he is not bothered by it and instead more pumped up to go out and get the win.

The two fighters meet at ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru on Sunday, January 28, in Tokyo, Japan. It is ‘Super’ Sage’s second fight since returning from a prolonged hiatus that nearly reached four years.

Heading into ONE 165, Northcutt was initially caught off guard by the cold reception from Aoki but said he has since moved on from it.

He told ONE Championship in an interview:

“Yeah, you know, there was a little bit of stuff. I don't think it was translation issues. I mean, I had people translate it and he's definitely saying some interesting stuff on Twitter. I guess the whole press conference, not shaking my hand, just kind of serious, getting ready for the fight.”

Northcutt added:

“Man, it just pumps me up more to where I want to go train even harder. I'm going to try to hit him super hard out there, so it doesn't frustrate me at all. It was just interesting.”

Now back in harness and healthy, Sage Northcutt wants to pile up the wins and position himself for a world title shot.