ONE Championship continues to stack its March event by adding an exciting welterweight matchup between two legends of Japanese MMA.
At ONE X on March 26, [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] will get his wish by facing [autotag]Yoshihiro Akiyama[/autotag] at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The two men will meet at 170 pounds, ONE officials confirmed with MMA Junkie.
After a grappling event in Tokyo, Aoki (47-9) directly confronted Akiyama (15-7) and asked him why he declined a previous fight offer. Akiyama explained there was an injury and other circumstances that prevented the fight from coming together, but also stated he was open to taking the matchup at a later time.
The stars have aligned for the bout to take place at ONE X, the date Aoki suggested.
Aoki, 38, will bring a wealth of experience from 56 professional bouts along with his grappling prowess to put his four-fight win streak on the line against a fellow legend. Aoki will enter on the heels of a first-round armbar finish of Eduard Folayang last April.
Akiyama, 46, affectionately known as “Sexyama,” will enter on the momentum of a first-round finish of his own. The seven-fight UFC veteran knocked out Sherif Mohamed at ONE: King of the Jungle in February 2020.
With the addition, the ONE X lineup includes:
- Angela Lee vs. Stamp Fairtex – for women’s atomweight title
- Adriano Moraes vs. Yuya Wakamatsu – for flyweight title
- Shinya Aoki vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
- Demetrious Johnson vs. Rodtang Jitmuangnon
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