3 Questions Sage Northcutt will answer at ONE Fight Night 10

Sage Northcutt will make his highly anticipated return to action, and while we’re excited to see him back, we also don’t know what version of 'Super' will show up. He’s going to have to answer a few questions.

‘Super’ Sage is set to take on Pakistani fighter Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE Fight Night 10 on Friday, May 5. Their match takes place in ONE Championship’s historic first on-ground event in the United States. 1stBank Center in Colorado is already sold out, but fans in North America can still catch all the action live and for free on Prime Video with an active Amazon subscription.

The 27-year-old certainly looks in shape, but after four years away from competition, we’re not entirely sure what to expect upon his return.

Here are three questions that Sage Northcutt needs to answer when the bell rings at ONE Fight Night 10:

#3. Will his chin hold up?

Sage Northcutt had a memorable debut in ONE Championship for the wrong reasons back in 2019. ‘Super’ Sage stood against Brazilian striker Cosmo Alexandre in a welterweight MMA battle. Unfortunately, their match lasted barely a minute, as Alexandre knocked out Northcutt in just 29 seconds.

Despite the short amount of time their match lasted, the damage to Northcutt was so severe that it shelved the 27-year-old for an extended period of time.

While the American has been saying all the right things about his recovery, we’ve now seen that his chin is not indestructible. Getting knocked out the way that he did and having to recover from it for such a long time could also have an effect on his fighting style. Will he still be aggressive moving forward or will he be more cautious and gun-shy because of fear from a fight-ending knockout blow?

Ahmed Mujtaba could keep him guessing, as the Pakistani fighter is adept on both the ground and on his feet. He’s also training at the famed American Top Team and has previously worked closely with the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and Cain Velasquez.

All things considered, will Northcutt’s chin survive a clean shot from Mujtaba?

#2. Is the ONE lightweight division a better weight class for Sage Northcutt?

Sage Northcutt has competed at the 155 and 170-pound limits throughout his career and tried his luck at ONE’s welterweight limit of 185 lbs. It turned out to be a bad idea, as Northcutt competed outside of his regular fighting weight and was completely outclassed by the much bigger Cosmo Alexandre.

In ONE’s lightweight division, the American will have an opportunity for a fresh start to reintroduce himself to ONE Championship fans. Add the fact that the division is filled with killers led by ONE lightweight world champion Christian Lee, former titleholders Ok Rae Yoon and Shinya Aoki, Turkey’s Dagi Arslanaliev, and Russia’s Saygid Izagakhmaev just to name a few.

Against Ahmed Mujtaba, Sage Northcutt will immediately be tested in the lightweight division. While unranked, the Pakistani MMA champion is riding a two-fight win streak that saw him stop both of his opponents in the first round.

Will ‘Super’ Sage be able to perform better in his new weight class?

#1. Can he claim a world title on the global stage?

When he signed with ONE Championship back in 2018, Sage Northcutt was one of the brightest young stars in North America. He was also riding a three-fight win streak before signing with ONE.

Despite the long layoff caused by various roadblocks, including a bout with COVID-19, he’s still just 27-years-old and has a lot of years left to achieve what he wants in combat sports.

We’ve all seen what ‘Super’ Sage can do in training and even in the cage, but now that he’s showcasing his talents on the global stage of ONE Championship, the fights aren’t going to get easier. He learned that the hard way against Cosmo Alexandre in his promotional debut.

However, it’s undeniable that he has all the tools to win a world title. The Texas native is a black belt in taekwondo and Shuri-ryū karate. In his younger years, he won an amazing 77 world youth championships in karate. He also put together a perfect 15-0 record in kickboxing before ultimately transitioning to MMA.

Now in a more comfortable weight class and with a few more years to hone his skills away from the limelight, Sage Northcutt will have to answer the biggest question of all - will he be able to use his tools to fulfill his destiny of becoming a world champion?