“That was amazing” – Sage Northcutt says ONE's rapid expansion in the U.S. “a huge factor” in his decision to sign with the promotion

American mixed martial arts sensation ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt left the UFC to join ONE Championship in 2019, and he never looked back.

The 27-year-old phenom has since gone 1-1 in the world’s largest martial arts organization, recently returning to action just this year to dazzle American fans in ONE Championship’s first-ever on-ground U.S. event in history last May.

Needless to say, Northcutt is doing pretty well in ONE. But what led ‘Super Sage’ to sign with the promotion a few years ago? Aside from the opportunity to compete among the best in the world in his division, Northcutt says it was ONE Championship’s drive to expand in the United States that ultimately swayed him towards signing on the dotted line.

Speaking to YouTube channel, The MMA Superfan, in a recent interview, Northcutt talked about why ONE’s expansion in the U.S. excites him.

‘Super Sage’ said:

“That was super exciting for me [fighting in the US]. One of the biggest things when I signed with ONE Championship, a huge factor was the future of ONE fighting in the US. So to actually have that happen, that was amazing for me.”

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‘Super’ Sage Northcutt wants to be on one of ONE Championship’s four U.S. events in 2024

‘Super’ Sage Northcutt returned to action earlier this year at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III on Prime Video, which was held before a sold-out crowd at the 1stBank Center in Denver, Colorado.

ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong teased a few months ago that ONE would return to American soil in 2024 with four live events in different major cities. And Northcutt targets being on one of those shows.

Who could he face? There are lots of options for the 27-year-old phenom. Northcutt could take on any of the lightweight elite. But what he really wants is a showdown with former multi-time ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki.