Sage Northcutt wants Shinya Aoki bout rebooked by ONE Championship: ‘What’s the problem?’

Sage Northcutt wants Shinya Aoki bout rebooked by ONE Championship: ‘What’s the problem?’

Sage Northcutt is finally ready to return to competition after more than three years, and he’s still keen to make a fight with Shinya Aoki happen in ONE Championship.

Northcutt (11-3) hasn’t seen action since May 2019 when he sustained a 29-second knockout loss to Cosmo Alexandre. Northcutt suffered eight facial fractures in the bout and was subsequently required to undergo an extensive, nine-hour surgery to repair the damage.

There have been multiple attempts to get Northcutt back in the cage since then, including a scheduled matchup with Aoki (47-10) in April 2021. Northcutt was forced out of that contest after testing positive for COVID-19, continuing a long line of setbacks for the eight-time UFC veteran.

The path back for Northcutt appears to be clear now, though, and he took to social media Friday to reveal his comeback fight is in the works for July or August. However, he indicates there are hiccups from Aoki’s side (via Twitter):

Hey Shinya @a_ok_i , I was told you were going to be my opponent on One championship’s July or August card if you didn’t get injured in your grappling match. Why won’t you fight me on the July or August Amazon Card.. What’s the problem?

— Sage Northcutt (@sagenorthcutt) June 3, 2022

Hey Shinya @a_ok_i , I was told you were going to be my opponent on One championship’s July or August card if you didn’t get injured in your grappling match. Why won’t you fight me on the July or August Amazon Card.. What’s the problem?

ONE Championship recently signed a deal with Amazon Prime to stream live events. A flyweight championship rematch between Adriano Moraes and Demetrious Johnson was announced for Aug. 26, and that appears to be a possible landing spot for Northcutt’s return.

Prior to losing his ONE Championship debut in devastation fashion, Northcutt, 26, ended his UFC tenure on a string of three consecutive victories.

Aoki, 39, meanwhile, has been active in recent months, competing in grappling in the aftermath of his second-round TKO loss to Yoshihiro Akiyama at ONE X in March.