“I’ve put a lot of time into that” – Sage Northcutt says he worked on multiple escapes to deal with Shinya Aoki’s feared BJJ

American MMA superstar Sage Northcutt will have perhaps the most high-profile bout of his career as he faces Japanese legend Shinya Aoki at ONE 165 this Sunday, January 28.

Inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, 'Super' Sage will lock horns with the former ONE lightweight MMA world champion and one of the most revered grappling purists in the sport's history.

Considering Northcutt's origin martial art was karate, most people are predicting this fight to be a classic "striker versus grappler" bout. However, Sage Northcutt did his homework and will be ready to deal with Aoki's legendary grappling.

He told The MMA Superfan on YouTube:

“I’ve put a lot of time into that. That's always a part of the game, no matter who I'm fighting. I'm always trying to improve and practice different scrambles, different escapes, different submissions, and, you know, I was thinking about it.”

Watch the full interview here:

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Sage Northcutt looking forward to showcase his own grappling against Shinya Aoki at ONE 165

Not only is Northcutt prepared to defend all of Shinya Aoki's submission entries, he is also eager to showcase his own come January 28.

In another interview with ESPN on YouTube, 'Super' Sage spoke about his underrated grappling and how it will mesh against the legendary 'Tobikan Judan':

"You know, I really believe in my grappling, my coaches did too. And I've been training and improving on the grappling so hard over the last bunch of years. So obviously looking at Shinya Aoki, everyone knows he's a legend in the sport, he's known for his grappling."

Surviving and defending Aokli's submissions can be a miracle at times - let alone manage to threaten him with your own submissions. If Sage Northcutt manages to submit the Japanese MMA legend, it might very well break the internet.

ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru will air live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.