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MMA superstar ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt made his long-awaited return to action on May 5 as part of ONE Championship’s first-ever on-ground US live show, ONE Fight Night 10. After recovering from injuries and COVID-19 for nearly four years, Northcutt returned to lock horns with Pakistani MMA star, Ahmed Mujtaba.
Despite not being well known as a submission specialist, Northcutt won the bout via a slick heel hook that will surely be part of the event's highlight reel. The win, however, didn't come so swiftly as 'Super' had to fend off early troubles.
Mujtaba dropped Northcutt with a stiff jab early in the bout. The latter, however, regained his composure and worked to find submission openings from the closed guard. He eventually found an entry to snag a quick heel hook that forced Mujtaba to tap out at 0:39 of the first round.
It was an incredible victory for Northcutt, considering how his last outing saw him get knocked out and suffer multiple facial fractures. For a moment, the match looked like it was going to be a replay of the young phenom's ONE debut four years ago. Fortunately for Northcutt, he learned from his past failures.
'Super' spoke to ONE commentator Mitch Chilson and briefly discussed his improved ground game, saying:
“My wrestling has improved a lot. I’ve been training with an incredible team. Urijah Faber here. Fabio. My wrestling and jiu-jitsu has improved a lot,” Northcutt said.
The win also got Sage Northcutt a well-earned $50,000 performance bonus from ONE Championship CEO Chatri Sityodtong.
The submission win was definitely impressive, considering how swift and come-from-behind it was. It will definitely get cataloged as one of the greatest submissions in ONE Championship history.
ONE recently uploaded a video of Northcutt's win alongside some of the best submission wins in the promotion's history. The video featured some of the best in both ONE Championship MMA and submission grappling matches.
Here's the video:
Prime Video subscribers in North America can watch the full replay of Sage Northcutt's match, along with the entire blockbuster card, free of charge.
