“I lift heavy and do a lot of explosive stuff” – Sage Northcutt on why his huge physical frame is no problem for MMA

‘Super’ Sage Northcutt doesn’t see his massive muscles and chiseled frame as a hindrance in mixed martial arts.

A general rule of thumb for professional fighters is that the more muscles you have, the more oxygen they soak up. As a result, fighters with bigger and more muscular frames tend to gas out faster, but Northcutt doesn’t see that being an issue for him whatsoever.

Speaking with The MMA Superfan, Sage Northcutt suggested that his heavy lifting and years in karate will allow him to maintain his explosiveness inside the Circle, even with his incredibly photogenic frame.

“I don’t think it’s hard to fight with more muscles, really,” Northcutt said. “I think [how I’m able to do it] it's more based off of my training. I’m also big into lifting very heavy, so I try to lift very heavy for my strength and I do a lot of explosive stuff since I was a kid growing up in karate.”

Sage Northcutt’s windy road back to the Circle

With 15 career fights under his belt and nine wins by way of finish, Sage Northcutt has established himself as one of MMA’s most exciting prospects.

However, ‘Super’ Sage has had a fairly tough road since signing with ONE Championship in 2019. After a disastrous debut that saw him suffer a 29-second knockout, Northcutt underwent nine hours of corrective surgery to repair eight fractures in his face.

In 2021, Northcutt appeared to be set for a return against Japanese MMA icon Shinya Aoki at ONE on TNT IV.

Sadly, he was forced to withdraw as he was recovering from the aftereffects of COVID-19. That extended his layoff even further, but fortunately, fans were able to see Northcutt return at full health in May for ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video.

Making the most of his return, Sage Northcutt scored a brilliant 39-second submission over Ahmed Mujtaba via heel hook. Since then, fans have been waiting with bated breath to find out who ‘Super’ would square off with when he makes his highly anticipated return.

Who would you like to see Northcutt face in his next appearance?