“He’s also got to watch out for submissions” – Sage Northcutt believes Shinya Aoki cannot sleep on his grappling abilities

While Shinya Aoki’s legendary ground game is undeniable, ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt warns the Japanese MMA icon not to sleep on his submission skill set.

After years of taunting one another in interviews and on social media, former ONE lightweight world champion Aoki will finally step inside the Circle with Northcutt when ONE Championship heads to Ariake Arena in Tokyo for ONE 165.

Scheduled to go down on Sunday, Jan. 28, Northcutt will be looking to build off the momentum he gained with his brilliant 39-second heel hook submission victory over Ahmed Mujtaba in May.

Speaking with ONE ahead of their long-awaited clash in The Land of the Rising Sun, ‘Super’ sent a word of warning to his opponent, encouraging ‘Tobikan Judan’ to not underestimate his grappling. Northcutt said:

“If it gets into a grappling situation, or maybe he gets dropped and I’m on top of him, he’s also got to watch out for submissions too and be aware of those”.

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Sage Northcutt says Shinya Aoki has nothing left to prove inside the Circle

Shinya Aoki is undoubtedly one of Japan’s greatest combat sports stars and a legend under the ONE Championship banner. Still, you can’t deny that his run over the last couple of years has been difficult to watch.

Dropping his last four, including back-to-back knockouts in MMA and back-to-back losses in submission grappling.

In terms of staying relevant in the lightweight division, Aoki is in desperate need of a win at ONE 165. However, Northcutt believes the 40-year-old superstar has absolutely nothing left to prove in his already legendary career. He added:

“Look at his record, what he’s accomplished. He’s had an amazing career and I don’t think he has anything else to prove. It’s an honor to get to fight him.”

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