Sage Northcutt Talks Victorious Comeback at ONE Fight Night 10

After four years away from the Circle, all Sage Northcutt needed to make a triumphant comeback at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III was 39 seconds.

Having suffered a devastating knockout at the hands of Cosmo Alexandre in his ONE debut in 2019, the one they call “Super” returned on Saturday, 6th May, to face in-form lightweight Ahmed Mujtaba at the Singapore-based promotion’s first show on U.S. soil in Denver, Colorado. 

After a frantic start to the contest that saw Mujtaba land an early strike, Northcutt took the opportunity to utilize the grappling repertoire he had been developing over the course of his hiatus. 

As he fell to the canvas with the Pakistani prospect, the 27-year-old karate expert sank in a lightning-quick heel hook that instantly caused his foe to tap, handing him a dream win and perfect bounce back from his nightmarish promotional bow. 

Breaking down the sequence, he said:

“The fight was definitely pretty fast. I’ve been working on my grappling a lot. The last few years, I’ve been really honing on it and working on it a ton. I’m really excited that I got to win by submission and I got to show some of that grappling.

“I’ve been working on grappling a little bit but being offensive too. I figured, I want to be a complete athlete out there and not just one aspect of the sport. So down there, I was really looking for a finish. 

“The kind of mindset going in was I want to finish my opponent and do it any way possible. I saw an opening when he stood up, so I just took it.”

When ONE Fight Night 10 was first announced to be The Home of Martial Arts’ first venture to the West, it was the perfect scenario for Northcutt to make his return.

Many other competitors would have chosen a quieter card in which to make their return after a 48-month absence – but not “Super.”

For him, it was the ideal stage to showcase where he was at mentally and physically, and that plan panned out in perfect style on the night.

“I think one of the big things was the mindset. Of course, I’ve been training to stay sharp, but when I go out there I’m looking for a finish,” Northcutt added. 

“I’ve just been training with a great team, great coaches. We’ve been working all around to be very well-rounded and fix the holes in my game. Just been really staying in the gym, staying sharp.”