Sage Northcutt’s run with ONE Championship has officially come to an end.
ONE and Northcutt “mutually agreed to his release from the organization,” per an announcement made by the combat sports promotion on Saturday.
Northcutt’s departure from ONE marks the end of a rough patch in his career, as he competed just twice over the course of five years amid medical struggles and a jagged relationship with the promotion.
Northcutt made the jump to ONE in 2019, suddenly joining the promotion after an eight-fight UFC run. He had a fair amount of buzz at the time, carrying a following due to his rise through UFC web-series “Dana White’s Lookin’ For A Fight” and appearances on many high-profile cards by the promotion.
His ONE debut in 2019 was a brutal loss, getting stopped in just 29 seconds by Cosmo Alexandre. Northcutt suffered eight fractures in his face due to the finishing sequence, forcing a nine-hour surgery and putting him on the sidelines for a significant amount of time.
In 2021, Northcutt hoped to return in a fight against Japanese MMA veteran Shinya Aoki. However, after the lingering effects of a COVID-19 infection caused a blood clot, he had to withdraw from the fight and further delay his return to competition.
Nearly four years after his loss to Alexander, Northcutt finally returned at ONE Fight Night 10, beating Ahmed Mujtaba in 39 seconds via heel hook.
After scoring his first win since 2018, Northcutt was re-booked to face Aoki early this year. However, the fight was withdrawn on short notice.
The fight’s cancellation bothered Northcutt, who posted a lengthy explanation which alleged a mix-up prevented his coaches from travelling to the event and thus caused him to not compete. At that time, he also expressed a vague frustration with the promotion.
“There has been a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes with ONE Championship with what caused me to withdraw from my last fight as well as other things that I will talk about at a later time on Facebook, Instagram, and media outlets,” Northcutt wrote in February.
Following the news of his release, Northcutt expressed enthusiasm for future opportunities.
“Excited for 2025 and looking forward to having some big fights!” Northcutt said on X.
Northcutt re-enters MMA free agency at just 28 years old, with a pro record of 12 wins and three losses. It’s unclear what the next option will be for him in the sport.
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