WATCH: Legends 'Sexyama', Shinya Aoki defy Father Time in classic meeting at ONE X in Singapore

Combat sports fans have seen some legendary bouts take place under the ONE Championship banner, and legendary rivals Shinya Aoki and Yoshihiro Akiyama put on a fight befitting their combat sports resumes at ONE X last March 2022.

After more than a decade of bad blood between the two superstars, 'Tobikan Judan' and Akiyama were finally able to face each other, and it was a fight that was fully in favor of the former early on.

Aoki, then 37, was able to jump onto Akiyama's back and lock in a body triangle while cinching in a rear-naked choke that appeared to have 'Sexyama' in dire straits.

However, the Team Cloud fighter was able to successfully defend against the choke and survive into the second round, where Aoki struggled to defend against Akiyama's strikes after emptying his gas tank, looking for the finish.

Akiyama, then 45 years old already, would let his hands loose as Aoki attempted a takedown, ultimately claiming the victory via TKO with a vicious ground-and-pound burst for one of the best sequences in ONE Championship history.

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Shinya Aoki, Yoshihiro Akiyama bury the hatchet

With how Aoki lost to Akiyama, one would think that there is still an air of animosity between them, but the former ONE lightweight MMA world champion told Sportskeeda MMA the following months after their rivalry bout:

"I think that's in the past."

Since then, Aoki and Akiyama have gone their separate ways to compete in high-profile matches of their own, though they did cross paths again earlier this year at ONE 165 inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, before their respective bouts.

Instead of a heated altercation, the two shared fist bumps, ultimately showing that the beef now truly remains in the past.

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