Sage Northcutt plans on ‘being ready for anything’ against Shinya Aoki at ONE Championship 165

Sage Northcutt knows Shinya Aoki is a grappling specialist and plans on testing him everywhere at ONE Championship 165.

[autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] plans on testing [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] everywhere.

Northcutt (12-3) mets Aoki (47-11) on Sunday at ONE Championship 165 from Ariake Arena in Tokyo in what is expected to be Aoki’s retirement fight. Northcutt originally was scheduled to fight Aoki in April 2021, but lingering effects from COVID-19 forced him out.

Four years after his brutal 29-second KO loss to Cosmo Alexandre in 2019, Northcutt returned this past May when he submitted Ahmed Mujtaba in 39 seconds. With Aoki on his radar for years, the Team Alpha Male fighter is ready for the submission specialist.

“I’ve been working my grappling for the past several years a lot,” Northcutt told MMA Junkie Radio. “Great grapplers, great teammates, great coaches. So, I’ve been really, really preparing and training my grappling a whole lot to improve.”

Aoki, 40, has 30 submissions to his name. Over 60 percent of his wins have come by submission, but Northcutt showed off his own jiu-jitsu game when he tapped out Mujtaba with a heel hook.

“A lot of people know that Shinya is known for his grappling, but it’s not just a grappling match out there,” Northcutt said. “It is mixed martial arts. You have a whole different set of tools and same thing, it’s not just a striking match. So, I think really going out there and being ready for anything is very important.”

You can watch Northcutt’s full interview above.

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Shinya Aoki vs. Sage Northcutt rebooked for Aoki’s retirement fight at ONE Championship 165

At long last, Sage Northcutt will get his opportunity to tangle with Shinya Aoki. It’ll be a big one for both of them.

At long last, [autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] will get his opportunity to tangle with the legendary [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] – and it’ll be a big one for both of them.

Northcutt (12-3) will take on Aoki (47-11) in two months as part of ONE Championship 165 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Promotion officials announced the Jan. 28 matchup Wednesday on social media and said the fight will be Aoki’s last with ONE. ESPN first reported the matchup.

The 27-year-old Northcutt, from the Dallas area, was supposed to fight Aoki, 40, in April 2021. That fight was about two years after his ONE debut, which was a shocking 29-second KO loss to Cosmo Alexandre that came on the heels of his free agency move to the promotion after a 6-2 run in the UFC. But lingering effects from COVID-19 kept Northcutt sidelined, and it was more than another two years later before he had his next fight.

Northcutt submitted Ahmed Mujtaba in 39 seconds in May for his first ONE win and first victory at all since July 2018. He was one of the hottest prospects in the sport’s history when he signed with the UFC in 2015, and he made $40,000 to show with a $40,000 win bonus in just his second fight in the promotion – rare for a young fighter on his first deal with the UFC.

Aoki will fight in front of his home fans in Tokyo one final time. Currently on a two-fight skid, the legendary Japanese grappling wiz was on an 8-1 run prior to that. His resume is littered with bona fides, among them two ONE lightweight titles, the DREAM lightweight title and the Shooto Japan middleweight title.

Of Aoki’s 47 total wins, 30 have been by submission. That was Northcutt’s weakness in his first two setbacks in 2016 to Bryan Barberena and Mickey Gall, both of whom were able to choke out Northcutt. Although he’s fought primarily for ONE the past 10 years, his extensive experience also includes fights under the Rizin banner, Bellator, Strikeforce and Pride.

ONE Fight Night 10 winner Sage Northcutt wants ‘super exciting’ fight with Shinya Aoki rebooked

Sage Northcutt wants to test his grappling against Shinya Aoki’s after ONE Fight Night 10.

[autotag]Sage Northcutt[/autotag] wants to test his grappling against [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag]’s after ONE Fight Night 10.

Northcutt (12-3) was booked to face Aoki (47-11-1) in April 2021, but lingering COVID-19 effects forced him out of the bout. He returned from a four-year layoff this past Friday at 1STBANK Center in Broomfield, Colo., and needed just 39 seconds to submit Ahmed Mujtaba (10-3) by heel hook.

As for what’s next, 27-year-old Northcutt said he wants to revisit the Aoki fight, and ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong is on board.

“I did have one set up with Shinya Aoki, and I think that would be a super exciting one,” Northcutt said at the ONE Fight Night 10 post-fight press conference. “Looking through my finishes now, you can see my grappling has improved a lot, and I got to show some grappling. He’s a great grappler. I think that would be a really exciting match.”

Northcutt, who trains out of Team Alpha Male, is not short of strong grapplers in his gym and was glad to show off that part of his game in the fight.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cr7oLwjMYqy/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

“It was definitely pretty fast,” Northcutt said. “I’ve been working my grappling a lot. So, for the last few years, I’ve been really honing in on it and working on it a ton. I’m really excited that I got to win out there and get a submission, and got to show some of that grappling.”

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Not only did Northcutt return from a long layoff, it was one in which he had to recover from a brutal injury suffered in a knockout loss to Cosmo Alexandre in May 2019. Northcutt underwent a nine-hour surgery to repair eight facial fractures and used the time off to work on his game.

“I think one of the big things was the mindset,” Northcutt said of his win. “Of course, I’ve been training to stay sharp but when I go out there, I’m looking for a finish. I’ve just been training with a great team, great coaches. Really been working all around to be very well rounded and fix the holes in my game. Just been really staying in the gym, staying sharp.”

Shinya Aoki unfazed by loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama, excited to face youngster in grappling match

Shinya Aoki has moved on from his loss to rival Yoshihiro Akiyama and welcomes a new challenge at ONE Championship 157.

[autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] has already moved on from his loss to rival [autotag]Yoshihiro Akiyama[/autotag].

Aoki’s grappling skills were on full display when he faced fellow Japanese legend Akiyama at ONE X in March. He took his back for almost all of Round 1, but Akiyama was able to rally and stop Aoki in Round 2.

However, the submission specialist is already onto his next task. He meets Kade Ruotolo in a submission grappling match Friday at ONE Championship 157, which takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

“Since the match at ONE X, I went about my days as if nothing changed,” Aoki said. “It was such an important fight in my career, and I lost. But I did my best, and I have no regrets. I’m proud of what I’ve done.

“It’s been already two months after that match, and I’m heading into another fight this week. Because I have an upcoming fight, I feel like time flies. This is how we move on. I lost my last fight, but that doesn’t mean (my career is) a disappointment. I’ve been doing this sport since 2003 – that’s almost two decades. If I count grappling matches, I’ve been fighting more, and I’ve lost many fights.”

Aoki has achieved a lot throughout his career, capturing both the Shooto and ONE Championship belts. At 39, he’ll be 20 years the senior of his opponent Ruotolo, but Aoki thinks that’s only a testament to his longevity.

“I’m proud of myself that I overcome (these hardships) all the time and keep moving on,” Aoki said. “It’s a precious thing to become a champion, but I don’t really care about how many wins I have or if I am the champion or not. More than that, I feel pride in my ability to keep fighting even though when it’s not good and tough timing in my career. The value is in how you are living, never giving up, and keep moving forward. And don’t be controlled by a win or a loss. So, I’ll keep moving forward.”

He continued, “I saw some videos of Kade’s fights. He’s strong, but he’s also part of a new generation. They are ‘new age.’ I’m really honored that I’m able to fight with the young generation. This is weird to say, but it’s kind of my job to get choked out from them too because at some point, we need to pass the baton, right?  But I plan to fight against this new style. I will not conform to it. I will stick to my old-school, classic style, show my discipline, and challenge myself. And I believe I’m still young. Age doesn’t matter to me. I don’t care about the number, and I know I can continue to fight for a long time.”

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ONE X results, prelims live stream

Follow along with complete results of ONE Championship’s massive 10-year anniversary event in Singapore.

ONE Championship’s 10-year anniversary event, ONE X, takes place Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, with a 20-fight lineup that includes 11 MMA bouts and a special bout involving one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.

In the main event, atomweight champion [autotag]Angela Lee[/autotag] returns from a two-and-a-half year absence to defend her tile against [autotag]Stamp Fairtex[/autotag]. And in the co-main event, former UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag] steps into an unknown realm against muay Thai champion [autotag]Rodtang Jitmuangnon[/autotag] in a mixed-rules bout scheduled for alternating rounds of muay Thai and MMA.

Also on the main card, flyweight champion [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] puts his title on the line against [autotag]Yuya Wakamatsu[/autotag], while Japanese legends [autotag]Yoshihiro Akiyama[/autotag] and [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] square off in a highly anticipated 170-pound matchup.

Recaps of the four main card MMA bouts (beginning at 8 a.m. ET) and full results can be seen below.

ONE X pre-fight press conference staredowns video and highlight photo gallery

Check out the photos from the ONE X pre-fight press conference and highlight photo gallery.

Fight week for ONE X is underway ahead of Saturday’s 10-year anniversary event.

On Wednesday, competitors of the event, which features muay Thai, kickboxing, submission grappling, mixed rules, and MMA fights, came face-to-face after the pre-fight press conference.

In MMA competition, the main card features two title fights. In the main event, [autotag]Angela Lee[/autotag] will defend her atomweight championship against [autotag]Stamp Fairtex[/autotag] and [autotag]Adriano Moraes[/autotag] will put his flyweight title on the line against [autotag]Yuya Wakamatsu[/autotag]. Also, a long-standing rivalry between Japanese legends [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] and [autotag]Yoshihiro Akiyama[/autotag] will be settled as they meet in a lightweight contest.

Also in action is former UFC flyweight champion [autotag]Demetrious Johnson[/autotag], who will compete in a hybrid rules fight against [autotag]Rodtang Jitmuangnon[/autotag]. Rounds will be alternated between muay Thai and MMA rules.

Watch the full pre-fight press conference staredowns in the video above and check out the photo gallery below.

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How to watch ‘ONE X’: Fight card, start time, live stream

ONE Championship is back Saturday to commemorate its 10-year anniversary with “ONE X,” which includes two MMA title fights.

ONE Championship is back on Saturday to commemorate its 10-year anniversary with “ONE X,” which includes two MMA title fights.

Here’s how to watch the “ONE X” card from Singapore, where women’s atomweight champion Angela Lee (10-2) puts her title on the line against Stamp Fairtex (7-1) and flyweight champion Adriano Moraes (19-3) defends against Yuya Wakamatsu (14-4).

Shades of Nick Diaz: Watch this incredible title-winning gogoplata finish at UWC 31

A day removed from the anniversary of Nick Diaz’s gogoplata finish of Takanori Gomi, a title fight in Mexico was finished with the rare submission.

Just a day removed from the anniversary of [autotag]Nick Diaz[/autotag]’s legendary gogoplata finish of Takanori Gomi at PRIDE 33, the same super rare submission decided a title fight in Mexico.

The complexity of the setup and the ability to sense a gogoplata coming are just a couple of reasons why we rarely, if ever, see the submission at the highest levels of the sport. Most fighters don’t even attempt it these days, so when it happens, it’s special.

Friday, at UWC 31 in Tijuana, Mexico, [autotag]Adrian Luna Martinetti[/autotag] showcased his slick submission skills by slapping on a gogoplata in the second round of the main event bantamweight title fight, forcing [autotag]Brandon Uruchurtu[/autotag] to tap. Winning a title is a special moment for any fighter, but doing it with a super rare submission makes it so much sweeter.

Check out the incredible finish in the video below (via Twitter):

Perhaps the highest-profile instance of a gogoplata finish was Diaz’s finish of Gomi in 2007. Japanese grappling dynamo Shinya Aoki pulled one off on Joachim Hansen at Pride Shockwave 2006, just a few months prior to Diaz.

Check out Diaz’s legendary finish in the video below, along with a few other gogoplata finishes in various promotions over the years.

The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.

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Shinya Aoki gets his wish, will face Yoshihiro Akiyama in a clash of Japanese legends at ONE X

After calling him out, Shinya Aoki will get his opportunity to face Yoshihiro Akiyama in March.

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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ONE on TNT IV results: Reinier de Ridder gets champ-champ status; Eddie Alvarez comes up short in epic brawl

Dutchman Reinier de Ridder is now a two-division champion, adding ONE’s light heavyweight belt to the middleweight title he already owns.

Undefeated Dutchman [autotag]Reinier de Ridder[/autotag] is now a two-division champion, adding ONE’s light heavyweight belt to the middleweight title he already owns with a decision win in the main event of ONE on TNT IV, which aired Wednesday in the U.S.

And de Ridder (14-0) earned both belts by taking them away from [autotag]Aung La N Sang[/autotag] (26-12) – the latest in a one-sided decision win at Singapore Indoor Stadium.

At the opening bell, de Ridder moved immediately forward and was able to drag the action to the canvas, scrambling through a seres of attempted escapes before setting up on top of N Sang’s half-guard. After advancing to mount shortly after, de Ridder was able to take the back when his opponent rolled. The body triangle came in immediately after, and de Ridder went to work on a potential choke.

To his credit, N Sang defended his neck well despite being in a bad position. In reply, de Ridder simply punched away to soften things up before beautifully transitioning to an arm-triangle attempt. N Sang defended it perfectly and was able to move back to the feet and deliver a few big punches before perhaps surprisingly choosing to engage again on the floor.

In the second frame, de Ridder again shot inside immediately, but N Sang was able to defend the initial effort. As de Ridder continued working in tight, he did get the occasional takedown, but he wasn’t able to keep the fight on the canvas until past the halfway mark of the frame, when he was finally able to secure top position and step quickly to mount.

N Sang rolled to escape and did get back to his feet, but de Ridder took him down again and finished the frame on top.

The third saw de Ridder get the fight to the floor with relative ease, where he dominated the positioning. N Sang kept himself out of submission trouble, but he wasn’t able to muster any offense of his own. He worked back to his feet late in the round, but even then, he was simply stuck against the cage.

The fourth round was a carbon copy of the first three, and the final frame started out exactly the same. N Sang was able to sweep to the top with three minutes left, but he was unable to muster any offense in the position, and de Ridder cruised to a one-sided decision win, claiming his second ONE Championship belt – and announcing his intention to get a third by coming after current heavyweight titleholder Brandon Vera.

The ONE Championship struggles continue for [autotag]Eddie Alvarez[/autotag] (30-8), who fought his heart out in an all-out brawl but ultimately suffered a unanimous-decision loss to [autotag]Rae Yoon Ok[/autotag] (15-3).

Alvarez attacked the legs of the taller Ok in the early going before driving forward and taking the fight to the floor. Ok stood quickly, and the battle in the clinch began. Ok was up to the challenge, and Alvarez was forced to back away and strike with the bigger man. It proved to be a dangerous proposition.

As they engaged on the feet, a massive two-punch combination from Ok sent Alvarez to the floor and seemed destined to end the fight. The South Korean set up on top and unleashed a non-stop barrage of hammerfists and straight punches. The referee gave Alvarez every opportunity to recover, and he did, taking an unbelievable amount of damage but refusing to quit.

Sensing he wasn’t going to be awarded the finish, Ok returned to the feet in the final 30 seconds, and Alvarez unbelievably was able to mount some offense just before the bell.

Alvarez was quick to the takedown in the second, but Ok remained up to the challenge. Even when Alvarez did get his opponent briefly down, Ok would work right back to his feet. Alvarez struggled to really get any effective offense logged, but he was the aggressor, even if Ok was able to defend most of it by simply setting up on the cage and staying upright.

Alvarez seemed the fresher man in the third, and he started mixing up his attacks, faking a few takedowns and driving in uppercuts and overhands depending on the read. Clearly fatigued, Ok dug deep and found the energy for a few knees and kicks up the middle while continuing to defend the takedown. In the closing seconds, the two stood toe-to-toe and took turns checking the chin to end an absolute brawl of a fight. In the end, though, the early damage proved too much to overcome for Alvarez, and judges awarded Ok the win via unanimous decision.

Viral star ‘Reug Reug’ suffers odd defeat

In a battle of undefeated heavyweights [autotag]Kirill Grishenko[/autotag] (4-0) was able to earn a somewhat bizarre victory over Senegalese wrestling sensation [autotag]Oumar Kane[/autotag] (3-1), better known as “Reug Reug.”

It was Grishenko who was the aggressor early, and he showed solid takedown defense when Kane immediately changed levels and worked from the clinch for a takedown. The position proved a stalemate, and the two would eventually reset, where Grishenko would score a couple of quick strikes before being forced to defend a takedown once again.

Kane clearly slowed as the round wore on, and Grishenko scored with a big kick to the thigh and a spinning backfist before the bell.

The second round was more of the same, with Grishenko landing big strikes when given space and then capably defending takedown attempts in the clinch. A frustrated Kane tried to land a few clubbing shots each time he would release the clinch, but he found himself unable to cause any real damage.

Controversy surrounded the ending sequence of the frame, as Grishenko landed a right hand to his opponent’s throat just after the bell, and Kane protested before dropping to the canvas. When Kane couldn’t answer the bell for the third, Grishenko was awarded a TKO win.

Shinya Aoki, Colbey Northcutt pick up submission wins on prelims

Submission wizard [autotag]Shinya Aoki[/autotag] (47-9) closed out his trilogy with fellow former ONE champ [autotag]Eduard Folayang[/autotag] (22-11) in style, scoring a first-round submission via armbar.

After a brief feeling out process to start the contest, Aoki was able to work inside to the clinch and eventually trip the action to the canvas, working quickly to mount. Once there, the end seemed almost inevitable, with Aoki controlling from the top before setting up the armbar and turning for the submission, cranking on the limb until earning the stoppage with 40 seconds left in the first round.

In the night’s first prelim, vaunted striker [autotag]Colbey Northcutt[/autotag] (2-1) showed off some grappling skills in a first-round submission win over the debuting [autotag]Courtney Martin[/autotag] (0-1).

Martin did her best to avoid the standup game by clinching and bringing the action to the floor early, but Northcutt was game from her back, chaining submission attempts together before locking in an armbar and extending the limb to earn a tap at the 2:28 mark of the first frame.

ONE on TNT IV results include:

  • Reinier de Ridder def. Aung La N Sang via unanimous decision – to win light heavyweight title
  • Rae Yoon Ok def. Eddie Alvarez via unanimous decision
  • Kirill Grishenko def. Oumar Kane via TKO (punch) – Round 2, 5:00
  • Shinya Aoki def. Eduard Folayang via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:20
  • Colbey Northcutt def. Courtney Martin via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 2:28