“It's not just a grappling match” – Sage Northcutt ready to counter Shinya Aoki’s iconic BJJ with punishing ground-and-pound

‘Super’ Sage Northcutt is well aware of just how destructive Shinya Aoki can be when the fight hits the ground.

As his moniker suggests, ‘Tokiban Judan’, which translates to ‘The Grandmaster of Flying Submissions’, has made a career from forcing his opponents to tap with his brilliant chokes and joint locks.

The defiant Northcutt, though, believes he can hold his own with the iconic Japanese grappler at ONE 165 this coming Sunday.

This lightweight MMA showdown is one of 11 scheduled bouts in ONE’s return to Tokyo, Japan, at Ariake Arena on January 28.

Coming off a stunning 39-second submission victory over Ahmed Mujtaba in his last outing, Sage Northcutt is confident that he can negate Aoki’s best attacks.

The Evolve MMA and Team Alpha Male product told ONE:

“I do have a lot of strength, a lot of conditioning, cardio, that all also plays an effect of course. But, you know, it's not just a grappling match out there."

Moreover, the American fan favorite said he’d gladly smash Aoki with some punishing ground-and-pound if he ends up on his guard:

“I think that's what makes a big difference is there is ground and pound. It is MMA, so there's elbows, there's knees, punches, hammer fists. There's everything out there.”

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

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Sage Northcutt is ready for any surprises coming from Shinya Aoki

At 40 years old, Shinya Aoki is indeed past his prime, but he’s still a dangerous adversary who shouldn’t be taken lightly.

As such, Sage Northcutt won’t let his guard down against the former ONE lightweight MMA world champion and cover all bases against him this Sunday.

Northcutt said in the same interview:

“Be ready for any situation because it is mixed martial arts, it's not just a grappling match. There are strikes, it's not just a striking match, there's grappling too, so yeah, definitely making sure I'm sharp and training everything.”