Before his MMA career, Sage Northcutt came from a background in traditional martial arts. As One Championship’s newest high-profile signing, he sees an opportunity to revisit his roots.
Northcutt made headlines recently when he decided against re-signing with the UFC, exploring other promotions including Bellator MMA before eventually signing with One Championship.
Or particular interest to “Super Sage” is One’s practice of promoting MMA, kickboxing, muay Thai and Western boxing bouts, often on the same cards. The 22-year old Texan was a recent guest on “The MMA Hour” and revealed that he’s open to exploring other combat sports which he believes will make him a better fighter.
“I think it’s just gonna make me a better athlete all around,” Northcutt said. “I don’t think I’m gonna be able to spread myself too thin. I think if my kickboxing and muay Thai gets better, then my MMA’s gonna be getting better too because obviously I’m at one of the best gyms in the world at Team Alpha Male with Urijah Faber and all the great guys over there. So I think my wrestling and my jiu-jitsu’s always improving, so if I have the better stand-up also, it’s just all around I’m gonna be a better fighter.”
A karate prodigy, Northcutt was the youngest-ever inductee to the Black Belt Magazine hall of fame before crossing over to mixed martial arts. He made news in 2015 for signing with the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a 4-0 19-year-old. While some observers accused the UFC of signing Northcutt for his looks and marketability rather than his MMA skills, he left the UFC with a 6-2 promotional record and on a three-fight win streak. Northcutt is expected to make his debut for his new employers in March 2019 when the promotion visits Tokyo, Japan.