“I do what I love” - Shinya Aoki is looking to follow his passion rather than chase grand dreams

Legendary Japanese MMA fighter Shinya Aoki is celebrating his ten-year anniversary of competing in ONE Championship. 'Tobikan Judan' looks back fondly on his time with ONE. The Japanese grappler is a former two-time ONE lightweight world champion.

Aoki is a veteran of over 50 MMA fights since making his professional debut in 2003. He was only 20 years old at the time and stood out to fans due to his incredible skill and aggressiveness. With a black belt and both judo and jiu-jitsu, he was a formidable challenge for opponents.

Nearly 20 years later, Aoki looks back over his storied career with no regrets. He explained that he did exactly what he wanted. While speaking to ONE Championship in an interview, he was asked if he has anything more to achieve, and he answered:

"Not really. If I have a fight, I will fight. I don’t want to say like ‘I want to change the world’ or something like that. I do what I love. That’s all."

ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong recently discussed Shinya Aoki's incredible career during a ONE 163 press conference. He said:

"Shinya [Aoki] is one of the greatest fighters [to] ever come out from Japan. Truly a legend. And one thing I know about Shinya, I think I know him almost 15 years. And he’s a fighter who never says no to any fights. He accepts all opponents."

---

Shinya Aoki loves martial arts

The grappling expert Shinya Aoki has never slowed down. He is still competing in MMA, submission grappling, and professional wrestling. His career has taken him all over the MMA world, including ONE Championship, Bellator, DREAM, PRIDE FC, and many others.

Aoki does all this because he truly loves martial arts and he has done exactly what he wanted for his entire life. In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, Shinya Aoki explained:

“I’m at my happiest when I’m concentrating on being a martial artist ... If I could just train all day and do martial arts, that would be awesome. I do not want to work in a regular job, I just want to concentrate on martial arts.”

Aoki has put together an incredible legacy during his time in MMA and ONE Championship. He has spent nearly 20 years competing against the best in the world and he still wants to stay active in the sport. He claims:

“I want to keep doing it forever.”