ONE Championship: Maurice Abevi calls out 'p****' Sage Northcutt for Denver, blasts Shinya Aoki fight withdrawal
Maurice Abevi made sure to shoot his shot after picking up a second straight win in ONE Championship at the weekend.
The 24-year-old Swiss took home a unanimous decision against durable Chinese veteran Zhang Lipeng at ONE Fight Night 22 to establish himself in the lightweight MMA division.
Handed the mic backstage by Sportskeeda, Abevi chose to call out "Super" Sage Northcutt for ONE 168 when the Asia-based martial arts promotion returns to the US on September 6.
"I’ve got my eyes on Sage Northcutt. He’s a tricky guy, a good striker, a karate guy. But I have the best coaches and I’m super confident I can bring an awesome show to him.
"This would be an awesome scrap. He’s young, I’m young. We are both ready to go here. I want to fight him September in Denver. That would be my dream fight. Sage, if you’re not scared, come get me bro. What’s up man, let’s go. Don’t be a p****."
Northcutt has been quiet since releasing an excoriating social media post blasting ONE in the wake of his last-minute withdrawal from a fight with Shinya Aoki at ONE 165 in Tokyo in January.
The 28-year-old American opted to withdraw just hours before he was set to step in the ring at Ariake Arena, after one of his cornermen was denied a work visa.
Former bantamweight MMA champion John Lineker stepped in on extremely short notice, getting submitted by Aoki, but former UFC star Northcutt later put the blame squarely on ONE. Asked about the debacle in Tokyo, Abevi said:
"I think that’s some p**** energy, right there, and I want to give him a chance to show he’s not a p****. So Sage, if you’re not a p****, come fight me bro. Come get me. I'm ready to heel hook your ass."
Maurice Abevi open to Amir rematch
After a debut decision loss to Halil Amir in April 2023, the Swiss – who fights out of Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket, Thailand – is also open to welcoming his former foe back to the division.
This time, Abevi believes he will not only get his hand raised, but hand the Turk a second straight knockout defeat, after Amir saw his undefeated record ended by featherweight MMA contender Akbar Abdullaev at Lumpinee Stadium last Saturday.
"I think Hall should come back up. Draining yourself in a camp is not really good or healthy. I would be down to rematch him again, because that was an awesome scrap. Next time, I'm going to finish him. I'm pretty confident I can finish him now. I'm better, wiser, more professional. I think the fans would love it."
Either way, Abevi – who is "f****** obsessed with MMA" – is just keen to continue building his name in ONE Championship.
"There’s a lot of talent here and I'm ready for everything. I just want to get my wins and eventually it’s going to come. I’ll get my name out there and bring some big highlights and finishes. It’s a journey, you know."