“I always like to test myself “ – Sage Northcutt open to an MMA-submission grappling special rules crossover with Shinya Aoki

Sage Northcutt has always had the support of the fans for his ever-endearing optimism, and that may just propel him into a bout with Shinya Aoki.

The Brazilian jiu-jitsu brown belter bounced back in spectacular fashion after being out of the fight game for nearly four years with a heel hook submission victory against Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE Fight Night 10 this past May.

In an interview with The MMA Superfan, Northcutt had the following to say about what a bout between him and 'Tobikan Judan' could look like - if the opportunity ever arises:

“Oh, you know, I'd be down for both. If it was just MMA, I'm down for that, or if we were to do even both, or even if we had just straight submission grappling I'd be down for that. I always like to test myself and I think it'd be a lot of fun.”

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Sage Northcutt and Shinya Aoki were on a collision course once in the past

After fully recovering from having suffered eight facial fractures in his promotional debut at the hands of Cosmo Alexandre, he was scheduled to face former two-time ONE lightweight world champion Aoki at ONE on TNT 4 in April 2021.

However, 'Super' was forced to withdraw from the card as he was still suffering from the lingering effects of COVID-19 - thereby opening the doors for Aoki to face division rival Eduard Folayang.

Taking on the 'Landslide' in a future bout is not out of the picture for the Sacramento native, but his attention in the meantime is towards Aoki.

With Northcutt recently admitting that he is "walking around in shape", it would not be a surprise to see him fight both men in 2024.

Watch the full interview with Northcutt here: