“Sure, why not” - Shinya Aoki casually expresses openness to trilogy fight with Eddie Alvarez

Asian MMA legend Shinya Aoki is ready to get back into the win column following a knockout loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama at ONE’s 10th-anniversary event ONE X in March. Prior to that, the former lightweight world champion was on a three-fight win streak.

As he closes in on a return to the circle, Aoki appeared to be on a collision course with ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt, who has teased his own return after more than three years on the shelf due to a devastating injury in his last outing.

While speaking to ONE Championship, Aoki discussed potential opponents, and the Japanese icon confirmed in a casual fashion that he would be up for a trilogy bout with former four-time world champion Eddie Alvarez.

“We’ve fought twice, but that was a long time ago. Yeah, sure why not. I am open to fight him anytime. It would be a pleasure to fight with him.”

As ‘Tobikan Judan’ mentioned, ‘The Underground King’ and himself have fought on two separate occasions that pre-date their time in ONE Championship.

Their first meeting took place on New Year’s Eve in 2008 at Dynamite!! 2008, an MMA and kickboxing event co-promoted by K1 and DREAM. Fighting for the WAMMA championship, Aoki scored the submission via a heel hook just 92 seconds into the bout.

Nearly four years later, the two would meet again under the Bellator banner. It would be another first-round finish, but this time it was Alvarez who would emerge victorious, evening the series with a knockout of Shinya Aoki near the halfway point of the opening round. More than 10 years later, is it time to see the long-awaited trilogy bout?

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Shinya Aoki is ready to welcome ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt back to the circle

It’s been more than three years since the last time we saw Sage Northcutt compete in mixed martial arts. In the photogenic fighter’s promotional debut, ‘Super’ suffered a crushing first-round knockout against Cosmo Alexandre. The knockout blow left Northcutt with eight facial fractures, requiring hours of surgery to repair.

Far removed from that night, Northcutt is ready to hit the reset button on his ONE Championship career, and legend Shinya Aoki is the one that wants to welcome him back to the big show. Regarding the fight, Aoki said:

“I’ve said in the past that I was looking for Sage Northcutt, and I am never backtracking on that. Yeah, let's do it.”

The two were originally scheduled to meet at ONE on TNT IV in April 2021, but the fight was scrapped after Northcutt withdrew, still reeling from the long-term effects of COVID-19. While no official date or location has been confirmed, the chances of an immenent showdown between ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt and the Japanese MMA icon appear to rise by the day.

Watch some of Shinya Aoki's best moments in the video below: