WATCH: Sage Northcutt’s inspiring return to action after a harrowing ONE Championship debut

Sage Northcutt is the perfect definition of a man who didn’t give up on his dreams, as he defied the odds and triumphantly returned to fighting at the top level after suffering a major injury to his face during his ONE Championship debut in 2019.

Northcutt suffered a devastating knockout loss to Cosmo Alexandre in May 2019 at ONE: Enter the Dragon, which caused multiple fractures on his face and threatened to end his career. However, he overcame this major challenge in his career and submitted Ahmed Mujtaba in just 39 seconds during their fight in May 2023 at ONE Fight Night 10.

This movie-like story of the 27-year-old American superstar was posted by ONE Championship on their Instagram account recently and captioned with:

“Come back stronger 💪 Who’ll take the W when Sage Northcutt collides with Shinya Aoki at ONE 165? @supersagenorthcutt⁠”

The world’s largest martial arts organization perfectly narrated the multiple-time Karate world champion’s career resurgence with the video’s full transcript of:

“This punch almost ended his career 😧 Sage Northcutt’s ONE debut did not go to plan. He had over 8 facial fractures 🤕 and doctors told him his career might be over. but Sage would not give up 💪 after four years away from the ONE stage he returned with a spectacular submission 🤯 to cap off his remarkable comeback ✌️ now he faces his toughest test Japanese MMA legend Shinya Aoki on enemy territory in Tokyo 🇯🇵”

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Sage Northcutt readies himself for a colossal showdown with Japanese legend Shinya Aoki

Northcutt’s dream fight with former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki is finally happening on January 28 at ONE 165, as they will be joining the stacked card inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo. The two combat sports stars are scheduled to face each other in an MMA contest.

The outcome of this exciting match will greatly affect the landscape of the division because if Aoki wins, he’ll have a strong case for another world title shot. But if Northcutt takes the dub, he’s expected to enter the top five rankings.