“I'm ready wherever the fight gets taken” – Sage Northcutt confident he can outclass Shinya Aoki both striking and grappling

‘Super’ Sage Northcutt has fully redeemed himself with his 39-second submission victory against Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE Fight Night 10 in May 2023 to record his first win under the promotion.

This brought back Northcutt’s confidence, and he wants to sustain this momentum when he faces the former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki on January 28 at ONE 165, which will happen inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

In his most recent interview with ONE Championship ahead of the fight, the Evolve MMA and Team Alpha Male representative is optimistic about his chances against the Japanese legend because of his diligent preparation from his camp, especially when it comes to grappling.

The 27-year-old American declared:

“Every fight starts standing up, so he's gotta be able to get me on the ground if he wants to go on the ground. And if we decide to go on the ground, then I've definitely been training for it and I believe in my jiu-jitsu and my grappling. I'm ready for wherever the fight gets taken.”

That previous outing with Mujtaba was already a strong indication of how significantly Northcutt’s grappling skills have improved. Despite this vast boost from this facet of his arsenal, the multiple-time Karate world champion should still be wary of Aoki’s sleek submissions.

After all, Aoki still holds 10 submissions from his 13 wins under the promotion, which has helped him capture the ONE lightweight MMA world title in multiple occasions.

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Sage Northcutt wants to get this victory against Shinya Aoki and acknowledges the importance of the fight

Sage Northcutt is aware of the magnitude of his fight against Aoki, and he wants nothing more than to get the victory and earn a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.

This massive matchup between the two combat sports superstars also has the potential to produce the next worthy challenger to the reign of the current ONE lightweight MMA world champion, Christian Lee, and Northcutt wants to be in front of the pile of contenders in the division.

ONE 165 is available on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.