American MMA star “Super” Sage Northcutt is confident he won’t be surprised by anything Shinya “Tobikan Judan” Aoki throws at him when the two clash in a lightweight MMA tilt this Sunday, January 28 at ONE 165: Superlek vs. Takeru.

That high-stakes matchup is set to go down in Aoki’s back yard, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

Sage Northcutt talks about his matchup against Shinya Aoki

A multiple-time karate World Champion and explosive knockout artist, Northcutt is expected to have a striking advantage over the renowned submission ace.

Indeed, the 27-year-old admits that he’ll likely do his best work in the stand-up department.

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But he also says he’s prepared no matter where the fight goes – even if that means grappling with the Japanese icon where he is the most dangerous.

“Super” Sage said: “Every fight starts standing up, so he’s gotta be able to get me on the ground if he wants to go on the ground. And if we decide to go on the ground, I’ve definitely been training for it, and I believe in my jiu-jitsu and my grappling. I’m ready for wherever the fight gets taken.”

After four years out of action, Northcutt returned last May and showcased his new and improved grappling chops, submitting Pakistani sensation Ahmed Mujtaba with a spectacular first-round heel hook at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video.

Clearly, the American has spent plenty of time honing his ground game at the famed Team Alpha Male in California.

‘Super’ predicts the outcome of his fight against ‘Tobikan Judan’

Given his newfound prowess in grappling and submission hunting, Northcutt says fans shouldn’t rule out the possibility of something historic at ONE 165 – handing the former ONE Lightweight MMA World Champion his first submission loss:

Northcutt States, “I don’t want to give away what my strategy is, but I’m planning on going out there to try to hit Shinya harder than he’s ever been hit in his life. 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. He’s never been submitted in mixed martial arts, ever. So that’d be pretty insane if I was able to submit Shinya out there in MMA. That’d be something.”

Northcutt made a pretty bold prediction, given the fact that Shinya Aoki has fought 59 professional MMA fights in his career and has never once been submitted. Do you believe that the American has what it takes to submit Aoki? let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Also Read: “I Try Not to Dwell Too Much on It” – Redemption Seeking Tommy Langaker Reflects Back on Loss Against ONE 165 Rival Kade Ruotolo