Shinya Aoki has already moved on from his loss to rival Yoshihiro Akiyama.
Aoki’s grappling skills were on full display when he faced fellow Japanese legend Akiyama at ONE X in March. He took his back for almost all of Round 1, but Akiyama was able to rally and stop Aoki in Round 2.
However, the submission specialist is already onto his next task. He meets Kade Ruotolo in a submission grappling match Friday at ONE Championship 157, which takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium.
“Since the match at ONE X, I went about my days as if nothing changed,” Aoki said. “It was such an important fight in my career, and I lost. But I did my best, and I have no regrets. I’m proud of what I’ve done.
“It’s been already two months after that match, and I’m heading into another fight this week. Because I have an upcoming fight, I feel like time flies. This is how we move on. I lost my last fight, but that doesn’t mean (my career is) a disappointment. I’ve been doing this sport since 2003 – that’s almost two decades. If I count grappling matches, I’ve been fighting more, and I’ve lost many fights.”
Aoki has achieved a lot throughout his career, capturing both the Shooto and ONE Championship belts. At 39, he’ll be 20 years the senior of his opponent Ruotolo, but Aoki thinks that’s only a testament to his longevity.
“I’m proud of myself that I overcome (these hardships) all the time and keep moving on,” Aoki said. “It’s a precious thing to become a champion, but I don’t really care about how many wins I have or if I am the champion or not. More than that, I feel pride in my ability to keep fighting even though when it’s not good and tough timing in my career. The value is in how you are living, never giving up, and keep moving forward. And don’t be controlled by a win or a loss. So, I’ll keep moving forward.”
He continued, “I saw some videos of Kade’s fights. He’s strong, but he’s also part of a new generation. They are ‘new age.’ I’m really honored that I’m able to fight with the young generation. This is weird to say, but it’s kind of my job to get choked out from them too because at some point, we need to pass the baton, right? But I plan to fight against this new style. I will not conform to it. I will stick to my old-school, classic style, show my discipline, and challenge myself. And I believe I’m still young. Age doesn’t matter to me. I don’t care about the number, and I know I can continue to fight for a long time.”
