'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The first victory of Sage Northcutt in ONE Championship was extra special, as he did it in his home country in May 2023 at ONE Fight Night 10, where he submitted Ahmed Mujtaba in less than one minute of their lightweight clash inside the 1stBank Center in Denver.
This phenomenal victory was reposted by the promotion on their official YouTube channel recently, where they wrote the description:
“Before American superstar Sage Northcutt returns against Japanese icon Shinya Aoki in a lightweight MMA showdown at ONE 165, relive his surprising first-round submission of Pakistani warrior Ahmed Mujtaba in 2023!”
Trending
It was a long-awaited return for ‘Super’ Sage after suffering multiple facial nerve injuries during his debut in May 2019 at ONE: Enter the Dragon against Cosmo Alexandre, who knocked him out in the opening round.
The 27-year-old American opened up the match with three kicks to the face of ‘The Wolverine’ before receiving a powerful jab that dropped him down the canvas. Mujtaba then jumped to Northcutt and was in the closed guard position.
However, the 30-year-old Pakistani made a crucial mistake by giving up the position by standing up on his feet, which opened an opportunity for Northuctt to grab his left leg and transition to a heel hook submission.
The Evolve MMA and Team Alpha Male representative only needed seconds to tighten up the submission maneuver and force the tap out of the AKA and KAKS-affiliated athlete to officially give him his first victory in ONE Championship.
Sage Northcutt looks to continue his momentum as he battles Shinya Aoki at ONE 165
Eight months after his first-ever victory under the world’s largest martial arts organization, Northcutt is now scheduled to face former ONE lightweight MMA world champion Shinya Aoki on January 28 as part of the stacked ONE 165 card in Tokyo, Japan.
It is one of Northcutt’s dream matches, and his wish was granted by ONE Championship. The result of this match between the American sensation and the Japanese legend will be crucial to the division as it can alter the rankings significantly.
ONE 165 is available on pay-per-view at watch.onefc.com.
