“It was a weight off my shoulders” – Sage Northcutt says victory over Ahmed Mujtaba ‘meant a lot’ heading into ONE 165

After years of uncertainty and doubts clouding his mind, Sage Northcutt promises to unleash the best version of himself when he returns to the ONE Championship Circle for ONE 165.

That evening, the Evolve MMA and Team Alpha Male athlete takes on another tough name in the talented lightweight division of the promotion, none other than former kingpin Shinya Aoki, inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

But all this would not have been possible had he not overcome a far tougher battle outside the Circle, one that came in the aftermath of his debut loss to Cosmo Alexandre in May 2019 and his comeback win over Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE Fight Night 10 last year.

Sage Northcutt told Sports Illustrated.

“It was a weight off my shoulders. It had been over four years since I’d had my last win, so it meant a lot. I was going against a tough opponent, and to win with a fantastic submission was even better.”

He added:

“I wasn’t necessarily looking for the heel hook, but that’s what presented itself. We got into a grappling exchange, and I took advantage of what I saw.”

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‘Super’ Sage Northcutt’s journey to ONE 165

The Texas native suffered multiple fractures in his brutal first-round defeat to Alexandre. While he returned with a bang at ONE Championship’s debut show in the U.S. last year, the journey to get there was one filled with bumpy roads.

Despite whatever came his way, ‘Super’ Sage showed unwavering determination and dedication to stay committed to his mission during his time away from the spotlight.

It couldn’t have turned out better as he beat Mujtaba inside the sold-out 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado. His 39-second submission of the Pakistani fighter earned him the promotion’s MMA Submission of the Year.

With one assignment out of the way, Sage Northcutt is thrilled to get things going against Aoki to open his account in 2024 on a positive note.

The Japanese martial arts icon hasn’t tasted victory in his past four outings across MMA and submission grappling. Come fight night, ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt hopes to leave ‘Tobikan Judan’ in a similar position as he aims to pave a route to the lightweight crown.

ONE 165 airs live on Sunday, January 28, via global pay-per-view on watch.onefc.com.