Shinya Aoki-Yoshihiro Akiyama Showdown Confirmed for One Championship ‘X’ on March 26

Shinya Aoki will square off against Yoshihiro Akiyama in a matchup of Japanese MMA legends at One Championship “X.”

A promotion official confirmed the 170-pound pairing with Sherdog.com on Wednesday. One “X” takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore on March 26 and will see ex-UFC champion Demetrious Johnson face muay Thai king Rodtang Jitmuangnon in a bout featuring both MMA and muay Thai rule sets. Additionally, Angela Lee will meet Nong Stamp in a strawweight title clash, while Adriano Moraes will take on Yuya Wakamatsu in a bantamweight championship tilt.

A former One lightweight title holder, Aoki is currently on a four-bout winning streak that includes three triumphs within the Singapore-based promotion. Most recently, the 38-year-old submitted Eduard Folayang 4:20 into the opening round of their clash at One on TNT 4 last April.

After a seven-bout stint in the UFC from 2009 to 2015, Akiyama has gone 1-1 under the One Championship banner. He dropped a unanimous verdict to Agilan Thani in his debut at One “Legendary Quest” in June 2019 before defeating Sherif Mohamed via first-round KO at One “King of the Jungle” in February 2020.