Northcutt’s simple approach to ONE 165 Aoki fight, ‘I’m going to hit him harder that he’s ever been hit in his life’
- American Sage Northcutt will square off against Shinya Aoki in Tokyo this weekend
- Northcutt’s straightforward approach contrasts with the former lightweight champion who tends to grind opponents into submission
A bad case of Covid 19 and travel restrictions brought on by the pandemic have limited Sage Northcutt’s ONE Championship appearances over the past five years.
In fact, since the American signed for the promotion he has stepped into the ring just twice; losing to Cosmo Alexandre on his debut in 2019 and beating Ahmed Mujtaba last year at ONE Fight Night 10.
The 27-year-old will finally get a third fight this weekend during ONE 165 in Tokyo, and its fair to say opponent Shinya Aoki, a former lightweight champion who has spent 20 years grinding fighters into submission, could be on the receiving end of some pent-up aggression.
“I’m planning on going out there to try to hit Shinya harder than he’s ever been hit in his life,” Northcutt said, highlighting the clash of styles and personalities fans can expect to see on Sunday.
The ever-smiling Northcutt contrasts sharply with the very serious Aoki, who is not known for his sense of humour, and refused to shake his rival’s hand at a press conference announcing the fight last year.
Not short of motivation, Northcutt said he added that perceived snub to the list.