“I always have a good time with the fans” – Sage Northcutt not concerned about fighting Shinya Aoki on Japanese turf

‘Super’ Sage Northcutt is beyond excited about the opportunity to compete in Japan against one of the country’s most beloved mixed martial artists.

Emanating from Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Friday, January 28, ONE 165 will be stacked from top to bottom with exciting fights, including two epic world title tilts.

Also scheduled for the promotion’s return to 'The Land of the Rising Sun' is the first 2024 appearance of highly touted MMA prospect Sage Northcutt.

Eight months removed from his sensational 39-second heel hook submission victory over former Pakistani MMA champion Ahmed Mujtaba, Northcutt will return for a clash with former ONE lightweight MMA titleholder and legend Shinya Aoki.

Though he’ll be fighting in enemy territory, Sage Northcutt is nonetheless excited for the opportunity to fight in front of a raucous crowd in the Northeast Asian country:

“I know he's on hometown turf but I actually got to go to Japan for the first time maybe three to four weeks ago, my first time ever visiting Japan, I had a great time,” Northcutt told ESPN. “So I don't know, I'm really excited for it. I always have a good time with the fans, they pump me up and I'm really looking forward to fighting in the Ariake Arena for this fight in Japan.”

See the full interview below:

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Shinya Aoki determined to snap two-fight skid against Sage Northcutt

With almost 60 fights in his illustrious career, Shinya Aoki is considered by many to be one of the greatest Japanese fighters in MMA history.

However, ‘Tobikan Judan’ has struggled to find the win column as of late, suffering back-to-back knockout losses against Yoshihiro Akiyama and Saygid Izagakhmaev.

Nevertheless, Aoki is ready to climb back into the win column and stop the growing momentum of ‘Super’ Sage come fight night.

Will Shinya Aoki add another big win to his resume at ONE 165, or will Sage Northcutt add another notable name to his hit list?

ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru will be available via global pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.