Sage Northcutt can still be three-sport world champ, ONE Championship CEO says
By: Steven Marrocco | June 20, 2019 2:45 pm
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ONE Championship still is bullish on Sage Northcutt’s future despite a brutal knockout loss in his debut.
“My plan is the same,” ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong told MMA Junkie. “I really believe that Sage has the talent, has the potential, to be a three-sport world champion.”
First, Sityodtong wants Northcutt (11-3) to recover from injuries he suffered in a fight against muay Thai champion Cosmo Alexandre this past month in Singapore.
“Sage’s dream is to be an MMA, kickboxing and a muay Thai world champion, all within ONE Championship, and because we showcase all the martial arts, not just MMA, I still believe he can do it,” Sityodtong said.
ONE faced criticism from longtime MMA observers, including UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who questioned why Northcutt had been matched up against Alexandre in the first place. The former UFC star still is on the mend after a nine-hour surgery to repair his cheekbone following the knockout. Some 30 bone fragments had to be removed from his face, his coach, Urijah Faber, told “The MMA Hour.”
Sityodtong defended the matchup, downplaying Alexandre’s MMA resume while boasting about ONE’s talent roster.
“All the negative fan talk in the States about Sage being sent the toughest monster in ONE is far from the truth,” he said. “Cosmo is a very tough, tough, elite fighter, but again, he’s only 7-1 in MMA.
“I don’t know what all the hoopla was about, but yes, Cosmo is a world-class striker. And again, it’s because we have 140 world champions in ONE Championship. That’s what people don’t realize. The roster here is so deep and so talented, from any organization, you can’t just walk in and expect to dominate.”
Northcutt was one of three recent ex-UFC fighters to to sign with the Asia-based promotion, along with ex-lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez and ex-flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson, who was traded for now-former ONE welterweight champ Ben Askren. Northcutt praised ONE for its treatment of fighters, saying the promotion doesn’t badmouth talent.
“If one of the fighters doesn’t do good out there, the CEO of ONE Championship or any of the people that work for ONE Championship don’t talk bad about the fighters because of the performance,” Northcutt said. “They know what it takes to get out there, how much energy it takes, and we’re always trying to go out there and perform great.”
Indeed, Sityodtong had nothing but positive things to say about Northcutt and his potential despite the recent showing.
“Sage is a wonderful human being,” he said. “One thing about ONE Championship I’m very proud of, in the eight years we’ve been around, we’ve never had a single scandal with any of our stars. They’re not on the front pages of newspapers here in Asia, except for winning world titles and helping charities.
“Sage and (Johnson) and Alvarez, they all fit that mold. We were very careful in selecting our athletes, not just for their world championship potential in the cage, but we look for the attributes of becoming a real role model, a superhero to society. So it’s a very different approach in what you see in our western counterparts.”
continued,
Sage Northcutt can still be three-sport world champ, ONE Championship CEO says
By: Steven Marrocco | June 20, 2019 2:45 pm
view 10 imagesONE Championship still is bullish on Sage Northcutt’s future despite a brutal knockout loss in his debut.
“My plan is the same,” ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong told MMA Junkie. “I really believe that Sage has the talent, has the potential, to be a three-sport world champion.”
First, Sityodtong wants Northcutt (11-3) to recover from injuries he suffered in a fight against muay Thai champion Cosmo Alexandre this past month in Singapore.
“Sage’s dream is to be an MMA, kickboxing and a muay Thai world champion, all within ONE Championship, and because we showcase all the martial arts, not just MMA, I still believe he can do it,” Sityodtong said.
ONE faced criticism from longtime MMA observers, including UFC commentator Joe Rogan, who questioned why Northcutt had been matched up against Alexandre in the first place. The former UFC star still is on the mend after a nine-hour surgery to repair his cheekbone following the knockout. Some 30 bone fragments had to be removed from his face, his coach, Urijah Faber, told “The MMA Hour.”
Sityodtong defended the matchup, downplaying Alexandre’s MMA resume while boasting about ONE’s talent roster.
“All the negative fan talk in the States about Sage being sent the toughest monster in ONE is far from the truth,” he said. “Cosmo is a very tough, tough, elite fighter, but again, he’s only 7-1 in MMA.
“I don’t know what all the hoopla was about, but yes, Cosmo is a world-class striker. And again, it’s because we have 140 world champions in ONE Championship. That’s what people don’t realize. The roster here is so deep and so talented, from any organization, you can’t just walk in and expect to dominate.”
Northcutt was one of three recent ex-UFC fighters to to sign with the Asia-based promotion, along with ex-lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez and ex-flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson, who was traded for now-former ONE welterweight champ Ben Askren. Northcutt praised ONE for its treatment of fighters, saying the promotion doesn’t badmouth talent.
“If one of the fighters doesn’t do good out there, the CEO of ONE Championship or any of the people that work for ONE Championship don’t talk bad about the fighters because of the performance,” Northcutt said. “They know what it takes to get out there, how much energy it takes, and we’re always trying to go out there and perform great.”
Indeed, Sityodtong had nothing but positive things to say about Northcutt and his potential despite the recent showing.
“Sage is a wonderful human being,” he said. “One thing about ONE Championship I’m very proud of, in the eight years we’ve been around, we’ve never had a single scandal with any of our stars. They’re not on the front pages of newspapers here in Asia, except for winning world titles and helping charities.
“Sage and (Johnson) and Alvarez, they all fit that mold. We were very careful in selecting our athletes, not just for their world championship potential in the cage, but we look for the attributes of becoming a real role model, a superhero to society. So it’s a very different approach in what you see in our western counterparts.”
continued,
Sage Northcutt can still be three-sport world champ, ONE Championship CEO says
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