Sage Northcutt vs. Shinya Aoki, Atomweight Grand Prix Set for One’s April 28 Event

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