“People who stay consistent always rise to the top” - Sage Northcutt on the one thing he learned from mentor Urijah Faber

The biggest lesson that Team Alpha Male founder Urijah Faber has taught ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt is consistency and explained how it separates good fighters from great fighters.

Northcutt shared this in a recent interview with the Spinnin Backfirst MMA Show via their YouTube channel, ahead of his lightweight MMA clash with former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki at ONE 165 on January 28 inside the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

The 27-year-old American explained how this wisdom from ‘The California Kid’ changed his mindset about doing his training and its impact on a professional athlete’s career. Northcutt said:

“So I would say one of the biggest things I learned from Urijah Faber, he talks about it all the time, is being consistent. You see the most progress made when you're in there being consistent all the time and you see people that have like waves well they'll they'll go like one hard day but you have to skip four or five days of practice and then back to another hard day. You can make progress, but if you're slowly chipping away, those people who stay consistent always rise to the top.”

This embodiment of this lesson from Faber was on full display when the multiple-time Karate world champion scored his first ONE Championship victory against Ahmed Mujtaba in May 2023 at ONE Fight Night 10 via submission.

Northcutt showed that he is not just a one-trick pony and not just settled with his striking against the Pakistani brawler, but displayed the evolution of his fight game with a nasty submission maneuver that got him into the win column. It also shows that he has consistently worked on improving his combat sports arsenal.

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Sage Northcutt looks forward to the realization of his dream fight with Shinya Aoki

When Northcutt was signed by ONE Championship in 2019, he was vocal about his desire to fight the Japanese legend and gauge his skills against him. Five years and two fights later, Northcutt's wsh has finally materialized, as he now awaits the fight to happen.

Northcutt also vows to put up a fight of the night-worthy performance that will sustain his momentum and start 2024 on the right note. A victory for ‘Super’ Sage will push him closer to a world title showdown with reigning ONE lightweight MMA world champion Christian Lee, who also holds the ONE welterweight MMA world title.

ONE 165 is available on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.