Regardless of the place Shinya Aoki is on the present, count on him to make a spectacle out of it to ensure that he’s the star by the tip of it.
Over the previous 20 years, Aoki has dabbled in grappling, MMA {and professional} wrestling, rooting himself within the tradition of Japanese martial arts. Together with his legendary stature, ‘Tobikan Judan’ has been paired with promising younger stars to construct up their credibility within the sport.
Nevertheless, Shinya Aoki cautioned about this route, as he’s not within the enterprise of constructing others well-known by mendacity down for them. In an interview with ONE Championship, Aoki stated:
“I really feel unhealthy for the opposite Japanese fighters. Folks have not realized this essential half – I’d do something to get the highlight. So you probably have a fighter you need to promote, you should not ebook the fighter with me. They’ll have their spotlights taken.”
His penchant for the spectacular was on full show in his final two bouts within the Circle, as he scored two first-round submissions. The primary of the 2 pushed him to not solely be the all-time submissions chief within the promotion, but in addition earned him the 2021 ONE Championship Submission of the 12 months.
Shinya Aoki to face a fellow legend at ONE X
At ONE X, Shinya Aoki won’t be increase an up-and-coming star, as his opponent has a legendary resume of his personal.
The Japanese grappling star is ready to face off towards Yoshihiro Akiyama on the 10-year anniversary present in a heated rivalry that has been months within the making.
Akiyama is a adorned judoka, profitable a gold medal within the Asian video games for each South Korea and Japan. Later, he transitioned to MMA, the place he competed in varied promotions around the globe, together with the UFC.
After nearly 20 years within the sport, ‘Sexyama’ discovered his approach to ONE Championship in 2018 and ultimately ended up within the crosshairs of his fellow Japanese legend Aoki.
In late 2021, Aoki called out Akiyama for allegedly refusing to combat him. Akiyama countered by saying that an damage prevented him from competing, however Aoki insisted that he take the combat in December.
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Whereas their goal date was moved, they’re lastly set to fulfill on the 10-year anniversary occasion on March 26.
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