Sage Northcutt’s long-awaited return to the ONE Championship Circle has the young star feeling “Super.”
The talented 26-year-old, who hasn’t fought since 2019, will step back into action at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Friday, May 5.
In an interview with ONE, Northcutt expressed his happiness in returning to training for his upcoming lightweight battle with in-form Pakistani star Ahmed Mujtaba.
“Oh man, I’ll tell you what, it feels so good to be back. It’s been a while. I’ve been itching to get back. Not only that, getting the fight in the United States, the first U.S. card for ONE Championship, I couldn’t be more excited for that,” Northcutt said.
“You have an incredible fighter, Demetrious Johnson, headlining the card, so the card’s going to be super exciting, especially for the first card in the U.S. I’m so excited.”
Following his disappointing ONE debut, which saw him suffering a devastating first-round knockout at the hands of Cosmo Alexandre, Northcutt has had to overcome a number of obstacles.
The Team Alpha Male representative faced injuries that led to surgeries, and illness during his time away from the Circle. But he knows he is still young and hasn’t yet reached his athletic prime just yet.
“Being 26 years old right now, I’m still extremely young, so I’m looking forward to a long and successful career. I feel like I’m just getting started, and I’m still so young that I can have a lot of fights,” Northcutt said.
“A lot of people will be thinking, ‘Hey, Sage might have some ring rust.’ It’s been three-and-a-half years. It’s a little bit of time. But I’ve been training, I’ve been staying sharp. I feel like I’ve improved in a lot of different areas. I’m looking forward to showing it.”
Northcutt’s upcoming opponent, Mujtaba, will be seeking to derail the American star’s return in Colorado, however. If he does, it will be the official start of a win streak, following his back-to-back wins in 2021 and 2022.
The AKA and KAKS athlete has shown a well-rounded skill set thus far, and he should prove to be a solid test in Northcutt’s second fight.
While the Californian is eager to a comeback victory, he mostly wants to perform up to the expectations of the fans and ONE alike.
“Obviously [the goal is to] be successful out there and show ONE Championship that I’m able to go out there and perform, to meet the expectations of what they want, I want to go out there and put on a great performance,” Northcutt said.
“Whether it’s a submission, whether it’s ground-and-pound, or it’s a knockout, whatever it is, everybody wants a finish. That would be the ideal way to win, but you know I’m training for any aspect out there, so that way I’m prepared.”
Once the final bell rings and a hand is raised inside the Circle, the multiple-time Karate World Champion will be looking for a quick turnaround.
After nearly four years away from active competition, “Super” wants to be active in 2023.
“If I get the opportunity I would love to have a couple more fights this year. I would love to be super active. I want to knock out a couple of fights this year with ONE Championship and have great performances. That’s what I’m shooting for,” Northcutt said.
ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III goes down at the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado on May 5. Tickets for the event are on sale now via Axs.com.