“All his fights are exciting” – Sage Northcutt bares admiration for Yoshihiro Akiyama, says he’s down to scrap with ‘Sexyama’

ONE lightweight MMA contender Sage Northcutt has a great deal of respect for legends of the sport who paved the way for him.

While ‘Super’ has been vocally lobbying for a match-up with the iconic Shinya Aoki, he wouldn’t mind crossing swords with another luminary of mixed martial arts.

Appearing on The MMA Superfan’s YouTube channel, Northcutt entertained several possible opponents for him including a date with destiny with Yoshihiro Akiyama.

At 48 years old, ‘Sexyama’ has proven he still has a lot left in the tank following that sensational TKO victory over Aoki at ONE X last year.

Northcutt, for his part, is admittedly a fan of the Korean-Japanese megastar’s exciting fighting style.

“You know, I could see that in the future too. I think that could be a very exciting fight. All his fights are exciting. I watched him versus Shinya Aoki, not too long ago and that was a fun one to watch.”

For sure, Akiyama’s powerful judo background and terrifying stand-up game should match up nicely with Northcutt’s elite athleticism and improved grappling repertoire.

In the meantime, Northcutt still has his sights set on his postponed meeting with Aoki. The American star is looking to build momentum from his successful comeback at ONE Fight Night 10 last May, where he submitted Ahmed Mujtaba via heel hook.

Sage Northcutt says he’s just entering his prime athletic years

One look at Sage Northcutt shows he’s a physical specimen capable of jaw-dropping feats of athleticism.

However, recent setbacks have dimmed his hype, and the Evolve MMA and Team Alpha Male product has been criticized for being on the sidelines for almost four years.

Northcutt, though, is back to 100 percent and is better than ever. People forget he’s just 27 years old and hasn’t even reached that high ceiling of his.

He shared in the same interview:

“I feel like I didn't get robbed of any of my prime years too much, because when speaking about prime years, I've heard from many different fighters and world champs friends that I've grown up with, that your prime is when you're in your 30s.”

Watch Sage Northcutt's interview in its entirety: