Japanese MMA legends Yoshihiro Akiyama and Shinya Aoki are all set to settle their differences and prove their valor at ONE Championship’s ONE X event on March 26.
Shinya Aoki (47-9, 1 NC) has been calling out the former UFC veteran ‘Sexyama’ for a fight since last October. Aoki, who’s one of the biggest stars on the ONE roster, released a dramatic promo to call out Akiyama after a grappling bout.
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Finally, his calls have been answered as UFC analyst Ariel Helwani confirmed the 170-pounds bout touted as “Japanese Legends MMA fight”
Shinya Aoki vs. Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama has been booked for ONE X on March 26, sources say.
The lightweight (170) bout will be billed as a “Japanese Legends MMA fight.”
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 24, 2022
Helwani tweeted, “Shinya Aoki vs. Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama has been booked for ONE X on March 26, sources say. The lightweight (170) bout will be billed as a “Japanese Legends MMA fight.”
The 38-year-old submission artist, Aoki, has been a two-time ONE lightweight champion. The BJJ black belt has been a part of many noteworthy MMA promotions. These include PRIDE, Strikeforce, RIZIN, and Bellator. In his latest outing in April, Aoki finished his opponent, Eduard Folayang, in the first round via an armbar in April at ONE on TNT 4.
On the flip side, ‘Sexyama (15-7, 2 NC) ‘ will return to action after almost two years. The 46-year-old former UFC fighter last competed in February 2020 against Sherif Mohamed and beat him via first-round knockout.
Besides the Japanese clash, there will be many other exciting fights at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore.
Who else is fighting at ONE X?
Angela Lee and Stamp Fairtex will headline the ONE X event by ONE Championship in an atomweight title clash.
Also featured in the event is a ‘special rules’ fight between former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious ‘The Mighty Mouse’ Johnson and Muay Thai champion Rodtang ‘The Iron Man’ Jitmuangnon.
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The super fight will take place as a flyweight freestyle match, which puts both the MMA elites as the main attraction of the event.
What are your thoughts on the super fight? How excited are you for the card? Let us know in the comments below.