Sage Northcutt (11-3) is preparing to make his long-awaited return to MMA competition at ONE Championship’s blockbuster U.S. debut event on Friday, May 5.
“Super Sage” will compete for the first time since his promotional debut four years ago, as he is scheduled to meet surging Pakistani lightweight Ahmed Mujtaba (10-2) at “ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III” on Prime Video, which emanates from the sold-out 1STBANK Center in Colorado.
Injuries and COVID-19 complications have prevented the 27-year-old from building on his career, which saw him reel off six wins in the UFC before his move to the Asian giant in late 2018.
Now that he is healthy, Northcutt is ready to pick up where he left off. Here are three reasons why the American superstar is primed to shake up the lightweight division.
1. He is s physical specimen
It only takes one look at Northcutt to realize what an incredible athlete he is. But his physique is not just for show.
Northcutt has been honing his martial arts skills since he was just 4 years old, under the instruction of his father.
The multiple-time karate world champion has shown blistering speed in his 14 professional MMA bouts to date, and that alone is enough to strike fear into ONE’s lightweight roster.
2. Don’t sleep on his wrestling
While explosive striking is undoubtedly the bedrock of Northcutt’s game, his ability to wrestle cannot be discounted.
The Team Alpha Male representative made the move to the famed Sacramento-based camp some years ago with a view to expand his grappling repertoire.
By all accounts, Northcutt has remained in the gym throughout his time away from competition and has undoubtedly made leaps behind closed doors under the tutelage of Urijah Faber and the wrestling talent-rich squad.
If the fight with Mujtaba does indeed hit the mat, expect to see more grappling prowess from “Super Sage,” alongside the lightning-quick takedowns that we have been accustomed to seeing in his career so far.
3. Northcutt has star power
Northcutt originally burst into the UFC as a raw, but prodigiously talented 19-year-old back in 2015.
He then went on to amass nine fights with the North American promotion, where he became one of the most recognizable faces in the sport.
That said, there will be significant interest in Northcutt when he returns to the ONE circle, and his notoriety will no doubt turn the heads of the lightweight elite.
Should he emerge victorious at ONE Fight Night 10, expect many of the world’s top fighters to call out the happy-go-lucky phenom and try to take their shot at the global martial arts star.
