For the first time in five years, Sage Northcutt is going to fight in the United States.
Northcutt will fight Ahmed Mujtaba in a lightweight bout on May 5 at ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III, Sports Illustrated has learned. This is ONE Championship’s debut in the U.S., and Northcutt will seek to win his first-ever ONE bout on American soil.
Best known for his run in the UFC, where he won six of his eight fights, Northcutt (11-3) has the potential to be a major star for ONE. Only 26, the former petroleum engineering major in college is charismatic and talented—but he needs to piece together an impressive win streak. His first and only fight in ONE took place in 2019, when he was put to sleep by a vicious right hand from Cosmo Alexandre. Now he has a chance to stand out at ONE Fight Night 10, which is headlined by the Demetrious Johnson-Adriano Moraes trilogy bout.
Mujtaba (10-2) will be a test for Northcutt. He trains out of AKA in California, and he enters this fight on a two-fight win streak. The stakes are also high for him in this bout, as a win against Northcutt will significantly raise his profile.