Sage
Northcutt will return to active competition for the first time
since May 2019 when he locks horns with Shinya Aoki
at One Championship’s April 28 event.
The bout will be contested in One’s lightweight division, which is
170 pounds.
ESPN was first to report the booking. The card is the final of
four consecutive events for the Singapore-based promotion that
will air on cable network TNT from April 7 to April 28.
Northcutt hasn’t fought since suffering a 29-second knockout defeat
in his One Championship debut against Cosmo
Alexandre on May 17, 2019. As a result of that bout, Northcutt
was
forced to undergo a nine-hour surgical procedure to repair
multiple fractures in his face. Prior to that loss, Northcutt went
6-2 during a UFC stint from 2015 to 2018.
A former One, Dream and Shooto champion, the 37-year-old Aoki
enters the matchup with Northcutt on a three-bout winning streak.
“Tobikan Judan” last appeared at One “Unbreakable,” where he
submitted James
Nakashima in the opening stanza on Jan. 22. Aoki is 46-9 with
29 submission victories over the course of his career.
In addition to Northcutt vs Aoki, One CEO Chatri Sityodtong
announced the “One on TNT 4” will feature an atomweight (115-pound)
grand prix, with the winner getting a shot at reigning champ
Angela
Lee in November. Matchups for the tournament will be announced
at a later date, but the field is as follows: Seo Hee Ham,
Meng
Bo, Nong Stamp,
Alyona
Rassohyna, Alyse
Anderson, Itsuki
Hirata, Ritu Phogat
and Denice
Zamboanga.
BREAKING NEWS: The ONE Atomweight World
Grand Prix kicks off May 28! The ultimate winner will earn the
right to face off against current ONE Atomweight World Champion
Angela Lee in November of this year for all of the marbles. Stay
tuned for the tournament brackets! pic.twitter.com/PqJIHsj4l0— Chatri Sityodtong (@yodchatri)
February 24, 2021