Shinya “Tobikan Jūdan” Aoki, 38, and Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama, 46, will battle it out at the ONE Championship event “ONE: X“. They are two of the 10 Japanese athletes on the fight card.

Both Aoki and Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, 37, of Baguio, Philippines are former ONE Lightweight World Champions. They fought each other in ONE Championship three times between 2016 and 2021.

“ONE: X” in Singapore

Featuring 11 mixed martial arts fights, three Muay Thai matches, three kickboxing contests, two submission grappling contests and one hybrid MMA-Muay Thai fight, “ONE: X” will be held at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore in three parts on March 26, 2022. The first part will start at 1:00 p.m. and the second part will start at 5:00 p.m.

The third part, which is the grand finale, will start at 8:00 p.m. One of the fights in the third part is a lightweight contest between Aoki and Akiyama.

There are five Filipino athletes on the “ONE: X” fight card. Three of them are from Baguio City namely Eduard “Landslide” Folayang, 37, Lito “Thunder Kid” Adiwang, 29, and Stephen “The Sniper” Loman, 29.

Shinya Aoki vs Yoshihiro Akiyama

“ONE: X” marks Akiyama’s third outing in ONE Championship. Before joining the Singapore-based martial arts organization, he competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship from 2009 to 2015.

Before “ONE: X”, Aoki had 16 ONE Championship fights. Here is a comparison between Akiyama and Aoki’s numbers:

	SHINYA AOKI	YOSHIHIRO AKIYAMA
age	38	46
height	5’11”	5’10”
pro MMA debut	2003	2004
pro MMA record	47 wins, 9 losses	15 wins, 7 losses
ONE Championship debut	2012	2019
ONE Championship record	13 wins, 4 losses	1 win, 1 loss

Shizuoka vs Osaka

Aoki is from Shizuoka, Japan while Akiyama is from Osaka, Japan. The two places, which are around 328 kilometers apart, represent two distinct facets of Japanese life, offering vastly different experiences for residents and travelers alike.

Shizuoka, located centrally between Tokyo and Osaka, is celebrated for its breathtaking natural landscapes. As the home of Mount Fuji—Japan’s tallest mountain—it is a prefecture defined by scenic beauty, tea plantations, and a slower, more mindful pace of life. Its economy thrives as a department store of industry yet it maintains a notably lower cost of living compared to Japan’s major metropolitan hubs. For those seeking hot springs, coastal views, and proximity to nature, Shizuoka offers a tranquil retreat from the intensity of urban centers.

In contrast, Osaka is a high-energy, bustling megalopolis that serves as a core economic and cultural engine in the Kansai region. Known for its vibrant street food culture, bold personality, and fast-paced atmosphere, the city stands as a stark departure from the quietude of Shizuoka.