Sage Northcutt withdrew from ONE 165 due to unforeseen circumstances with his cornerman, leading to John Lineker stepping in to face Shinya Aoki on short notice. Aoki ultimately defeated Lineker with a first-round submission via rear naked choke. The fight was an openweight MMA showdown. Northcutt's replacement, Lineker, took the fight on an hour's notice after Northcutt's withdrawal. The withdrawal was also attributed to visa issues with Northcutt's cornermen. The event was marked by a mad scramble to find a new opponent for Aoki.
As per Chatri in the post-event presser for #ONE165, Kade Ruotolo wanted to step in for Sage and fight Shinya Aoki for his MMA debut before going on to defend his submission grappling belt in the co-main. It was being considered before they decided to put in John Lineker. Wild. https://t.co/5cbVSbbBxp
#ONE165: Shinya Aoki def. John Lineker by Submission (rear-naked choke) Round 1, 3:00 via @the3els #MMA https://t.co/ClWhdr89zz
ONE 165: Sage Northcutt pulls out, so Shinya Aoki taps John Lineker in open-weight bout #ONE165 Full story: https://t.co/YK7PgvGVbp
Shinya Aoki submits last minute replacement John Linekar via rear naked choke in round 1 in openweight #MMA bout after Aoki’s original opponent, Sage Northcutt, withdrew due to visa issues with his cornermen just hours before the fight. #ONE165 https://t.co/0Sl2O5vi5F
Shinya Aoki submits last minute replacement John Linekar via rear naked choke in round 1 in openweight #MMA bout after Aoki’s original opponent, Sage Northcutt, withdrew due to visa issues with his cornermen. #ONE165 https://t.co/HJFfb8nZxf
John Lineker stepped in to fight Shinya Aoki on an hour's notice after Sage Northcutt withdrew from #ONE165 😳 📰 https://t.co/HPnoWJC5SO https://t.co/zh8t8u0s6p
.@yodchatri tells me at the post fight presser Kade Ruotolo was begging him to let him step in and fight Shinya Aoki in MMA - as well as defending his grappling title later in the night. There was a mad scramble to find a new opponent after Sage Northcutt told him during the…
ONE 165 results: Shinya Aoki taps late-notice replacement John Lineker in openweight fight https://t.co/AtNoNifwZ8
LEGEND 🥋 Shinya Aoki submits John Lineker in their openweight MMA showdown! @a_ok_i Purchase the PPV now to catch the rest of ONE 165! #ONE165 | 🔴 Live Now 🇯🇵 Abema PPV 👉 https://t.co/xQ4Ifm4TH5 🌍 Global PPV 👉 https://t.co/8azyYuxNG9 #ONEChampionship https://t.co/oClCgjxfZi
Shinya Aoki submits John Lineker in the first round via RNC 🥋 #ONE165 https://t.co/DpHdvubqPt
Shinya Aoki beats John Lineker with a rear naked choke - the 26th 1st round submission of his career! #ONE165 https://t.co/uMWMhTrZfU
Shinya Aoki gets the tap in the first round against John Lineker via RNC. And the Ariake Arena goes wild. What a strange situation. #ONEChampionship #ONE165 @sportskeedaMMA https://t.co/2svoz8hiC9
BREAKING 🚨 Due to unforeseen circumstances with his cornermen, Sage Northcutt has withdrawn from ONE 165. Shinya Aoki will now face John Lineker in an openweight MMA showdown! Purchase the PPV now to catch the rest of ONE 165! #ONE165 | 🔴 Live Now 🇯🇵 Abema PPV 👉… https://t.co/OLe1jworCh
John Lineker steps in on short notice, replacing Sage Northcutt to face Shinya Aoki. Northcutt’s reason for pulling out was announced as “unforeseen circumstances with his cornerman.” #ONE165 | @ONEChampionship https://t.co/I3FzgWDw7E
Dom Lau announces Sage Northcutt is out, John Lineker is in against Shinya Aoki. “Unforeseen circumstances with his cornerman.” #ONEChampionship #ONE165
Sage Northcutt not afraid of Shinya Aoki’s jiu-jitsu: ‘It’s not just a grappling match’ https://t.co/FEY51Ycu30