American mixed martial arts star Sage Northcutt made a triumphant return to competition by producing a quick victory at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video on May 5 in the United States.
Kept on the sidelines for four years due to various medical issues, ‘Super Sage’ surprised fight fans by making short work of Pakistani opponent Ahmed Mujtaba in their featured lightweight showdown in ONE Championship’s debut live U.S. on-ground offering.
The Team Alpha Male and Evolve MMA affiliate forced Ahmed Mujtaba to tap out just 39 seconds into their scheduled three-rounder because of a heel hook.
While he was clipped early on with a short jab by Mujtaba, Sage Northcutt had the presence of mind to use it to work to his advantage. With both fighters mixing it up on the ground after, the American fighter grabbed hold of the leg of ‘Wolverine’ and twisted it from which the tap immediately came.
ONE Championship posted a video clip of the impressive finish by ‘Super Sage’ on Instagram.
Check out the post below:
The impressive win earned Sage Northcutt a $50,000 performance bonus from ONE CEO and Chairman Chatri Sityodtong. It also silenced doubters who were uncertain on his game shape in the lead-up after a long layoff.
Prior to ONE Fight Night 10, Sage Northcutt last fought in May 2019, when he absorbed a first-round knockout loss at the hands of Brazilian Cosmo Alexandre. In the aftermath, he suffered multiple facial fractures that required surgery and a long recovery period.
He tried to make a comeback in 2021 but COVID-19 sidelined him once again. Now healthy, 27-year-old Northcutt looks to keep himself busy by taking on the top fighters in the division as well as try his hands in other disciplines like submission grappling.
The replay of ONE Fight Night 10 can be watched for free via Amazon Prime in North America.