During the ONE 165 broadcast, it was announced that Sage Northcutt had unexpectedly dropped out of his match against Shinya Aoki. In his place, John Lineker stepped up to the challenge. Fans did not learn until after the event that ONE Championship submission ace Kade Ruotolo attempted to take the spot and compete twice in one night.
The ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion was already defending his title against Tommy Langaker in the co-main event. But since he has been training for a transition into MMA, he was ready to battle Aoki and make a splash in Tokyo.