ONE Championship continues to stack its March event by adding an exciting welterweight matchup between two legends of Japanese MMA.
At ONE X on March 26, Shinya Aoki will get his wish by facing Yoshihiro Akiyama at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. The two men will meet at 170 pounds, ONE officials confirmed with MMA Junkie.
After a grappling event in Tokyo, Aoki (47-9) directly confronted Akiyama (15-7) and asked him why he declined a previous fight offer. Akiyama explained there was an injury and other circumstances that prevented the fight from coming together, but also stated he was open to taking the matchup at a later time.
The stars have aligned for the bout to take place at ONE X, the date Aoki suggested.
Aoki, 38, will bring a wealth of experience from 56 professional bouts along with his grappling prowess to put his four-fight win streak on the line against a fellow legend. Aoki will enter on the heels of a first-round armbar finish of Eduard Folayang last April.
Akiyama, 46, affectionately known as “Sexyama,” will enter on the momentum of a first-round finish of his own. The seven-fight UFC veteran knocked out Sherif Mohamed at ONE: King of the Jungle in February 2020.
With the addition, the ONE X lineup includes:
- Angela Lee vs. Stamp Fairtex – for women’s atomweight title
- Adriano Moraes vs. Yuya Wakamatsu – for flyweight title
- Shinya Aoki vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
- Demetrious Johnson vs. Rodtang Jitmuangnon
