Sage Northcutt says fans want to see ‘super exciting’ striker vs. grappler showdown between him and Shinya Aoki

American karate phenom ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt is itching to return to action in the world’s largest martial arts organization.

The 27-year-old superstar came back to competition earlier this year in a rousing performance, defeating Pakistani MMA champion ‘The Wolverine’ Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video in Denver, Colorado last May – by submission, no less.

The victory has given Northcutt enough confidence to continue his call out of former ONE lightweight MMA world champion ‘Tobikan Judan’ Shinya Aoki, known as one of the greatest submission specialists in MMA history.

Speaking to ONE Championship in a recent interview, Northcutt said he’s looking at revisiting his proposed matchup against the Japanese legend.

‘Super’ said:

“I think that fight [with Aoki] is one a lot of fans want to see. A top grappler and former World Champion versus a striker – and I’ve worked on my grappling a ton – so it’s going to be super exciting.”

Northcutt is known primarily for his striking, which features flashy, acrobatic techniques common in karate and taekwondo. But under the tutelage of legendary MMA fighter ‘The California Kid’ Urijah Faber, Northcutt has transformed into a complete fighter, adept in all aspects of fighting.

Could Northcutt and Aoki square off soon? ONE Championship has been trying to make this fight. Northcutt is 1-1 in the world’s largest martial arts organization, while Aoki is a pioneer of ONE and previously one of its most dominant world champions.

The clash of styles is certainly interesting and could result in a major shakeup in the lightweight division.

ONE Championship’s lightweight MMA rankings have been removed from their official website, likely due to the uncertainty of the division, with reigning and undisputed ONE lightweight MMA world champion Christian Lee out of commission.

If Northcutt were to defeat Aoki in a potential fight, it would boost his stock in the division to epic proportions.