“I was on the verge of tears” – Shinya Aoki admits dealing with frustration after Sage Northcutt’s shocking pull-out at ONE 165

Shinya Aoki was on the verge of tears after learning that his originally scheduled ONE 165 opponent, Sage Northcutt, would not be stepping inside the ring with him.

‘Tobikan Judan’ was prepared to give fight fans in his home country a night to remember against one of the promotion’s most highly touted stars. Unfortunately, things fell apart in the 11th hour when Northcutt withdrew from the contest due to an issue related to his cornermen. Thinking all hope was lost, Aoki was suddenly blessed with a new opponent as former ONE bantamweight MMA world champion John Lineker agreed to step in on just an hour’s notice.

It was a stunning turn of events, but one that allowed fight fans in Ariake Arena to see one of their heroes compete for potentially the final time. In the end, Shinya Aoki snapped a four-fight losing streak, scoring a first-round neck crank submission against ‘Hands of Stone.’

Addressing members of the media in a post-fight interview, Aoki revealed that he was practically in tears when learning that Northcutt withdrew but was ultimately happy with the way everything turned out.

“I want to say that I’m really satisfied with my performance,” Aoki said. “Within my career, today was the first time ever that I lost an opponent (before the fight) and I was on the verge of tears.”

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Shinya Aoki ready to soldier on after his 47th career victory

With the win over Lineker, the 40-year-old fan favorite earned his 14th victory in ONE and his 47th overall. Many expected Shinya Aoki to announce his retirement to the live crowd in Ariake Arena, but for now, it appears that ‘Tobikan Judan’ will continue to pursue combat sports.

‘Father Time’ may have caught up to the MMA icon in recent years, but judging from his recent victory against Lineker, it’s clear Aoki remains as dangerous as ever.

And perhaps this latest win will give ‘Tobikan Judan’ a renewed sense of confidence as he goes into his next endeavor, whatever it may be.

If you missed any of the action or want to relive an epic night in ONE Championship history, the ONE 165 replay can be watched on demand via watch.onefc.com.