“I will retire him” - Saygid Izagakhmaev wants to end Shinya Aoki’s career

It’s not enough for Saygid Izagakhmaev to rise through ONE Championship’s lightweight rankings, he also wants to end Shinya Aoki’s legendary career entirely.

The No.4-ranked lightweight contender will face his toughest opponent yet when he takes on Aoki at ONE 163: Akimoto vs. Petchtanong on November 19 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

In an interview with ONE Championship, the Russian star acknowledged that Aoki is one of the most instrumental figures in mixed martial arts.

Saygid Izagakhmaev, though, stressed that the Japanese icon’s time in the sport is nearing its end and that it'll be him who’ll lead Aoki into retirement:

“I am happy to fight Shinya Aoki. Aoki is a legend in our sport. Back when I was in high school, I used to watch him fight. But with all due respect, I will retire him.”

The 28-year-old Izagakhmaev is one of the brightest stars in ONE Championship right now and he’s been utterly dominant in his two matches in the promotion.

In his debut at ONE: Heavy Hitters this past January, he scored a second-round submission win over James Nakashima, a former ONE welterweight world title contender. Izagakhmaev then followed it up with a strong unanimous decision victory over Zhang Lipeng at ONE 161 this past September.

Aoki, though, is still a dangerous fighter. The 39-year-old is currently ranked No.5 in the lightweight division and has had two reigns with the ONE lightweight world championship.

The Tokyo native has 12 mixed martial arts wins inside the circle, with nine of those wins ending in a submission. ‘Tobikan Judan’ or “grandmaster of the flying submission" also has one knockout win under his belt in ONE Championship.

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Saygid Izagakhmaev vs. Shinya Aoki will end in a finish, says ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong

A matchup between two grappling masters is as enticing as any clash in MMA. It's no wonder even ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong is hyped for Izagakhmaev’s showdown with Aoki.

Sityodtong was in Tokyo recently for the ONE 163 press conference and it was in that media appearance that he expressed his excitement for the matchup.

He pointed out that Saygid Izagakhmaev and Shinya Aoki are both fully capable of finishing each other off. What Sityodtong can’t exactly predict, though, is who will have his hand raised after the match:

“I think Shinya Aoki vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev is going to be a phenomenal fight. I’m very, very excited. I think this fight is going to [end in a finish]. I think either Saygid is going to finish Shinya, or Shinya is going to finish Saygid. I don’t think this fight is going to go the distance. These are two of the very, very best grapplers in the world.”