Sage Northcutt reveals he’s ‘in talks’ to compete against Shinya Aoki in Tokyo, Japan

Sage Northcutt hasn't taken his eyes off former ONE lightweight world champion Shinya Aoki, revealing in an interview that he's likely to compete against the MMA legend next.

The multi-time karate world champion was supposed to come back against the veteran of 59 fights in 2021, but his bout with Covid-19 forced him to withdraw from that high-stakes clash.

Now, fresh off an amazing win over Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE Fight Night 10, 'Super' Sage is eager to rebook his match against 'Tobikan Judan.'

Speaking to Spinnin Backfist, Sage Northcutt said:

“I'm actually in talks to possibly having my next fight against Shinya Aoki in Japan. That'll be pretty cool to fight in Japan. Tokyo or somewhere in Japan.”

Watch the interview here:

While it remains uncertain whether or not the Evolve MMA and Team Alpha Male athlete will face Aoki in Japan, ONE Championship remains pumped to make an imminent return to the 'Land of the Rising Sun.'

ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong said last year that the organization will return to Japan in 2023. In May this year, the lifelong martial artist promised the global audience that the hotly-anticipated Rodtang Jitmuangnon versus Takeru Segawa match will take place in Japan.

The Singapore-based organization has held two mega-events in the country so far, ONE Century and ONE: A New Era, in 2019.

In the meantime, relive Sage Northcutt’s first-round submission win at ONE Fight Night 10 via replay, available on Amazon Prime Video for North American fans.