5 possible opponents for Sage Northcutt at ONE Championship: X
ONE Championship's high-profile acquisition and former UFC rising star 'Super' Sage Northcutt is going to fight at ONE: X. The Asian organization is pulling out all the stops with their 10-year anniversay event and Northcutt will be part of it.
The former UFC star had a very unpleasant welcome inside the Circle when he debuted in 2019. Northcutt was thrown into the wolves right away when he fought Cosmo 'Good Boy' Alexandre in ONE's welterweight (185-pound) division.
The former Karate champion was knocked out in the first round, causing major fractures around his orbital bone.
@CosmoAlexandre #WeAreONE #EnterTheDragon #Singapore #MartialArtsJUST. LIKE. THAT! Cosmo Alexandre knocks out Sage Northcutt 29 seconds into the first round 👊 @CosmoAlexandre #WeAreONE #EnterTheDragon #Singapore #MartialArts https://t.co/Nh32Z1LNjU
A lot could be attributed to the cause of Northcutt's devastating loss. Aside from fighting the former kickboxing world champion in his debut fight, Northcutt also fought in a division way above his usual.
Northcutt's never fought above 170 pounds and most of his best work happened at 155 pounds. Ballooning to more than 185 pounds and fighting an elite striker native to that weight class may have contributed largely to his KO loss.
With that said, the once-dubbed future of the sport still has major potential to be exactly that. Northcutt's all-American nice-guy smile and Greek god physique are almost custom built to bring butts to seats. He just needs to choose carefully the paths that he'll take moving forward.
With 'Super' being part of the most high-profile ONE Championship event ever, it's a perfect opportunity for him to gain back some momentum. Two years away from the sport, however, is no joke.
Today we weigh down the prodigious young American's options and list down five possible opponents for his ONE: X fight.
#5. ONE Championship Special Rules match with Jake Paul
Okay, we'll admit, this is a bit farfetched and we're having a bit of fun with this entry. Just imagine, however, if the white-hot Jake Paul enters the ONE Championship MMA cage and squares up against Sage Northcutt.
We can see the marquee already: 'The Problem Child vs. The Golden Child'. We know that's not Northcutt's nickname but it might as well be. The kid's so nice you'll find it almost annoying. Both him and Paul are 25 years old and have wildly different personalities. It's a classic good boy vs. bad boy tale and we're here for it.
This bout also paints a compelling picture of the two contrasting ends of Gen Z culture clashing in the center of the cage. It makes for a really intriguing bout and could skyrocket ONE and Northcutt (and maybe even Paul) further into the stratosphere.