“The culture is amazing out there” – Lifelong karateka Sage Northcutt grateful for opportunity to star at ONE 165 in Tokyo

When Sage Northcutt made his long-awaited return to competition at ONE Fight Night 10, the timing was perfect for him.

Walking out to a sold-out crowd at ONE Championship’s on-ground North American debut event in Broomfield, Colorado, proved that all of the hard work Northcutt had put in was worth it.

He secured a submission win that night against Ahmed Mujtaba in under a minute, capping off an incredible moment in his career that he will look to one up in his next outing.

At ONE 165 on January 28, he will compete at ONE’s return to Japan against a legend and pioneer of the region, Shinya Aoki.

Given his background in karate, Northcutt revealed to ESPN that fighting in Japan has always been a dream of his that he will now get a chance to fulfill. He said:

“The culture is amazing out there. I've always wanted to fight in Japan actually, and it's a place I've always wanted to visit and to be able to fight there. Now that I have the opportunity to, I'm very thankful for ONE Championship for setting this up and giving me the opportunity to fight there.”

Watch the full interview below:

Sage Northcutt knows he is entering enemy territory at ONE 165

Make no mistake about it, Sage Northcutt had home-field advantage in his return at ONE Fight Night 10, and crowd's reaction to his walkout and submission finish was an attestment to that.

The same cannot be said for January 28, when he faces Aoki.

While Japanese fans aren’t known for being overly aggressive, Aoki is a legend of the sport on his home soil and the tension between him and Northcutt won’t go unnoticed.

The time for talking is over once the two men meet inside the Circle at the Ariake Arena on fight night.

ONE 165 airs live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.