Shinya Aoki moves to featherweight to fight Cody Stevens at OneFC 11

Shinya Aoki is one of the best submission artists from the Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) scene. The former Dream Lightweight champion made a career of utilizing a solid judo base to take advantage of his otherworldly flexibility on the ground.

After a successful run at lightweight in the Singapore-based OneFC, Aoki has decided to drop down to featherweight. Aoki was already extremely lean for lightweight, so there is no real way to predict how he'll be able to do after cutting the additional 10 pounds.

Aoki recently captured the OneFC lightweight title after defeating Kotetsu Boku by submission in April at One Fighting Championship: King and Champions. Aoki is undefeated since joining the OneFC roster.

His opponent for his upcoming bout is Cody Stevens, who is making his promotional debut. Stevens has been fighting on the regional circuit, compiling an 11-5 record along the way. He trains primarily out of Tiger Muay Thai in Thailand and has found most of his success on the ground.

This is a great fight for Aoki, who could soon find himself in the featherweight title picture. Obviously, as the most recognizable name on the OneFC roster, a second title would make him extremely marketable.