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'Super' Sage Northcutt is making his return to action in May following a four-year layoff. Ahead of his comeback, the American star has said that his devastating loss to Cosmo Alexandre made him a better fighter.
The 26-year-old Texas native suffered multiple facial fractures after eating a vicious overhand right less than 30 seconds into his ONE Championship debut. Sage Northcutt, who theoretically still isn't in his fighting prime, is glad to have moved on from his most recent loss.
He said on The MMA Hour:
"I’m so young, I’m glad this happened at a time when I was so young and didn’t happen towards later on in my career because now I’m only 26. I have a whole career ahead of me."
The lightweight added:
"It’s kind of like, it happened now, which is better than later."
Northcutt is making his return against Pakistani fighter Ahmed Mujtaba at ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video. He'll have the opportunity to compete in his home country for the first time since July 2018.
Sage Northcutt reflects on his unfortunate ONE Championship debut against Cosmo Alexandre
'Super' Sage signed with ONE Championship in 2019 after being released from the UFC the year prior. The up-and-comer still had a lot of hype behind him heading into his debut. Unfortunately, the fight couldn't have gone any worse.
Northcutt was flatlined in the opening minute after absorbing a right hand from Alexandre. He recently reflected on the outing with Ariel Helwani, saying:
"It was more like a learning experience. Obviously that weight class is a huge weight class. Looking back I shouldn’t have fought at 185. I was new to the hydration test - that’s a first for me. Fighting at 170, that’s my natural weight. Right now, I walk around like 175. I’m right there close to my weight already and I’m three and a half months out so that’s like a learning experience for me."
Luckily, Northcutt still has a long career ahead of him if he so chooses. After going 6-2 in the UFC, many were surprised by his release. There's no denying his talent.
Make sure to tune in to ONE Fight Night 10 on May 5 to watch the long-awaited return of Sage Northcutt as he takes on Ahmed Mujtaba, live from the 1stBank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.
Check out Sage Northcutt's full interview on The MMA Hour below:
