Despite having a handful of options asking him to fight them next, American MMA fighter Sage Northcutt said he only wants #5-ranked Shinya Aoki to be his next opponent in a lightweight bout. Aoki is currently competing in ONE Championship’s Welterweight division.
“It’s cool,” said Super. “People call other people out, but I got my focus on one fight at a time. So right now, I’m focused on fighting Shinya. He’s the former champion. He’s nobody to look over. That’s a big fight. I’m excited for that one. Hopefully, we get that here soon. Having your focus on what’s in front of you is the most important thing.”
The planned fight, which has been in discussion for years now, is now given attention again after Northcutt expressed intention to push it when asked about it.
“Yeah, absolutely [I still want that fight],” said the American during his last post-fight press conference. “We had it in the works before I had my last fight with Ahmed [Mujtaba]. We had it set and he said he still wants it. I think we should do it.
“I’ve been really focused on Shinya since after my last fight. Post-fight when we talked with all the media, it got brought up by someone out there saying, ‘How about you and Shinya?’ And it got brought up that it might possibly be the next thing. So since then, I’ve just been thinking about that.”
Despite losing during his ONE Championship debut fight against Cosmo Alexandre, who caused him a three-year rest, Northcutt made a positive comeback in May after defeating Ahmed Mujtaba. Prior to this, the 27-year-old fighter had an impressive record as a former UFC fighter, making a three-fight winning streak before leaving the promotion company. With this, Super is not short of fellow fighters wanting to have a fight with him.
Yet, as Northcutt underscored in his recent statement, his eyes are all on the former ONE Lightweight World Champion, who is considered the most successful submission specialist in Asian martial arts despite his four-fight losing streak from his March 2022 to October 2023 fights. According to Northcutt, Aoki’s achievements make the Japanese an attractive pick.
“I think that fight [with Aoki] is one a lot of fans want to see,” said the American fighter. “A top grappler and former World Champion versus a striker – and I’ve worked on my grappling a ton – so it’s going to be super exciting.
“I had quite a few years off, and I came back in my last fight, won by submission in the first round, and now I’m going to be possibly fighting Shinya. He’s one of the top guys in the division. He was one of the longest-reigning World Champions for ONE Championship. That’s a big one.
“I’m obviously going out there to try to win and finish my opponent. So I guess we’ll see after the fight.”
