Sage Northcutt (11-3) is diligently preparing for his comeback, but he isn’t looking past his opponent, Ahmed Mujtaba (10-2).
“Super Sage” will snap a four-year layoff when he locks horns with the Pakistani lightweight at “ONE Fight Night 10: Johnson vs. Moraes III” on Prime Video, which goes down live on Friday, May 5.
Despite signing with the promotion to much fanfare back in late 2018, Northcutt is refusing to look past the challenge he faces when ONE Championship makes its historic U.S. debut at Colorado’s 1STBANK Center.
All the 26-year-old wants is to earn his place in the promotion’s lightweight division with a solid victory.
“Knowing me and anybody that knows me, I work extremely hard. I’m always training super hard. Year round, I stayed in shape, and I’m always getting after it,” he said.
“I think, right now, my mind is focused on this fight first. One fight at a time, and talk about the next ones after that. But, all (I can say) is that I’m working extremely hard and training very hard.”
In Mujtaba, Northcutt will encounter a fighter who is full of confidence.
Pakistan’s “Wolverine” has reeled off two consecutive highlight-reel finishes, including a stunning submission win over Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Abraao Amorim last time out.
Those facts are not lost on Northcutt, who has been studying tape to ensure that he is prepared for all of the weapons that his foe will bring to the table.
“He has improved quite a bit, and I’m absolutely watching tape, for sure. The knockout, that was a good one,” he said, referring to Mujtaba’s 56-second KO of lightweight mainstay Rahul Raju.
“The guy that he submitted, his opponent was pretty decorated – I believe a black belt in jiu-jitsu. He hit a very unique submission, so I’m definitely keeping track of that. I’m definitely going to be gameplanning with my coaches.”
So much time has passed since Northcutt’s last bout that fans and critics alike don’t entirely know what to expect.
The only thing people can know for certain is that the Team Alpha Male representative has been putting in the time and the effort so he can leave May 5 with the win.
“I’ve never made predictions for a fight, that’s not just me,” he said. “But wherever the fight leads vs. Ahmed, wherever the fight leads, I’m training hard for any section of the fight that might be so.”
