Sage Northcutt Wanted to Complete His Previously Scheduled Bout Against Shinya Aoki Amidst Eyeing ONE’s Lightweight Gold With His Improved Ground Game

Sage Northcutt is adding some improved grappling to his arsenal of weapons, which could spell even greater danger for the rest of ONE Championship’s lightweight division. “Super” was triumphant in his return to action after four years away this past May. At ONE Fight Night 10 on Prime Video, he submitted Pakistani MMA champion Ahmed Mujtaba in just 39 seconds. 

The American started his martial arts journey as a Karate prodigy, winning multiple World Titles in the sport growing up, and he regularly displays his insane athletic feats via social media. 

Sage Northcutt may eye the ONE Lightweight gold with an improved ground game

While Northcutt stated that he was working on his ground game in interviews leading up to his comeback fight, no one expected such an emphatic submission win at ONE’s debut U.S. show. And in a recent Instagram post, the 27-year-old shared that he has continued to roll on the mats with Team Alpha Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu coach Fabio Prado.

Seen sporting his newly acquired BJJ brown belt, “Super” clearly wanted to show the world that he’s serious about upping his grappling skill, and that focus could prove essential if he wants to make a run in the lightweight division. At the moment, the division’s belt is one of two held by Christian Lee. However, with the Lee family still grieving the tragic loss of talented star Victoria, ONE has sought the go-ahead from “The Warrior” to introduce an interim World Title to keep the division moving.

READ MORE – ONE Fight Night 14 all set to feature a touted Stamp Fairtex vs Ham Seo Hee bout for the ONE Interim Women’s Atomweight World Title

The weight bracket is stacked to the roof, meaning that the doors will be wide open for a litany of stars to show they’re worthy of a shot, and Northcutt could take this opportunity to make his mark. But to do that, he’ll need a good ground game, as the division’s top-five ranked fighters all have skills in that area. While he may be a fight or two away from competing against #3-ranked Saygid Izagakhmaev and #2-ranked Dagi Arslanaliev, the rest of the division could still offer an interesting challenge for the American fighter.

Sage Northcutt was keen to fight Shinya Aoki although there were other options

Former ONE Lightweight World Champion Ok Rae Yoon is looking to get back on track after losing the World Title in a rematch with Lee. Meanwhile, fourth-ranked Halil Amir will be looking to legitimize his claim for a shot at interim gold after scoring two straight wins in the promotion. 

A matchup with Northcutt could give both ranked fighters a chance to prove themselves against a global superstar, and it would offer the American star a path to cracking the rankings. 

READ MORE – “That Gives Me a Purpose to Live Another Day” – Mikey Musumeci Detailed How He Battled His Mental Health Issues Drawing Motivation From Them

The most interesting foe for “Super,” though, is #5-ranked Shinya Aoki. The Team Alpha Male representative has expressed his desire to reschedule the bout he had set with the Japanese martial arts legend last year, and a high-stakes meeting between the two stars would surely be a formidable test of Northcutt’s improved grappling skills.