Carrying the One Championship Flag into Japan

Shinya Aoki has established himself as an iconic figure in Japanese mixed martial arts, so it comes as little surprise that he will headline One Championship “A New Era” on Sunday at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. “Tobikan Judan” is tasked with leading the Singapore-based promotion into his homeland for the first time, as he looks to regain the lightweight title Eduard Folayang took from him three years ago.

Aoki, 35, has been a steadfast figure on the Japanese MMA scene for 16 years while competing in many of the country’s most acclaimed combat sports organizations, including Deep, Shooto, Pride Fighting Championships, Dream and Rizin Fighting Federation. With a 42-8 record with one no-contest and multiple lightweight championships on his resume, he has reached legendary status in his place of birth. Despite being known for his emotional and controversial post-fight outbursts, he remains humble when asked about his leading role in One Championship’s first drive into the Land of the Rising Sun.

“I do not think of myself as a legend. I’m just trying to do my best in this fight. That is all I want to do. I try not to think about previous success,” Aoki told Sherdog.com. “Being a part of One Championship is a highlight of my career. I am thankful that I’ve been given this huge platform to showcase my skills.”

One Championship has taken the mantle of top MMA promotion in the east. Aoki was a part of the Pride roster at a time when it rivaled the Ultimate Fighting Championship for global supremacy -- a feat One Championship now attempts to accomplish. It has begun stretching out its reach beyond Asia and into North American homes through its broadcast partnerships with Bleacher Report Live and Turner Network Television. Aoki believes One Championship has surpassed Pride and has serious potential in the future.

“I think One Championship is everything that is good about Pride and about martial arts all rolled into one,” he said. “It is much bigger than Pride, and the potential is absolutely massive. Seven years ago, nobody believed that One championship would grow like this, but I knew that this organization would explode.”

That belief in the company’s growth serves as one more reason why he never ventured far from his Asian comfort zone. Outside of two bouts in Strikeforce and a championship rematch with Eddie Alvarez in Bellator MMA, Aoki has competed almost entirely on his native continent. While he had offers from promotions in the west, his training always took place close to home, and his experience with long-distance travel for fights was enough to make competing in Asia the preferred option.

“Jetlag was very rough for me,” Aoki said. “I got an offer from the UFC in the past, but I always thought about what would be the best decision at the time. Because of that, One was simply what interested me the most.”

One Championship “A New Era” features the debuts of two former UFC titleholders in Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson, along with three other title fights. Having Aoki in the headliner says everything about his popularity. His encounter with Folayang serves as a rematch of their November 2016 meeting that saw the Filipino score a technical knockout in the third round. Folayang managed to successfully navigate the vaunted Aoki ground game, which has netted 26 submission victories for the judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. He struck down Aoki 41 seconds into Round 3 with a flying knee followed by punches and knees on the ground. One cageside announcer called it “quite possibly the biggest upset we have ever had in One Championship.” Aoki does not necessarily see it that way.

“At this level, I am not surprised by much,” he said. “I knew going into that bout that he had very good wrestling. Every opponent is the most dangerous at this level. We are competing at the highest level of the sport, and you cannot underestimate anybody.”

Now on a three-fight winning streak, Aoki has moved back into contention and believes he can right the wrongs that cost him against Folayang the first time.

“The important thing from this point is how to move forward,” he said. “I learn from my mistakes and my failures. The key for me now is making the right adjustments. I am confident in my abilities and [know how to] take advantage of my strengths. Now it’s time to execute. We’ll see what happens on fight night.”

Aoki will enter the 52nd fight of his mixed martial arts career a little more than a month shy of his 36th birthday. He has no plans to hang up his gloves anytime soon.

“I want to die a year after I retire,” Aoki said. “Martial arts is what I live for.”