ONE Championship, Sage Northcutt agree to part ways

ONE Championship released Sage Northcutt after the two sides "mutually agreed" to part ways, the Asia-based promotion said in a statement Friday.

Northcutt confirmed the news in an Instagram post and said he's "looking forward to having some big fights" in 2025.

Northcutt signed with ONE Championship in 2018 after a three-year stint in the UFC. The 28-year-old fought just twice under the ONE banner, suffering a surprise knockout loss to Cosmo Alexandre in his 2019 debut and then submitting Ahmed Mujtaba in his return from a four-year layoff in May 2023.

Northcutt suffered severe facial injuries in the Alexandre fight and later dealt with lingering effects from COVID-19, leading to his extended absence from the cage.

The Texas native was scheduled to fight Shinya Aoki in January, but he withdrew on the day of the event after learning his coaches would be unable to corner him due to visa issues.

In the aftermath of that fight cancellation, Northcutt was critical of ONE, writing in a since-deleted social media post in February that "there has been a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes."

Northcutt primarily competed at 155 pounds in the UFC but fought at 170 and 185 pounds in ONE.

"Super" was a top MMA prospect when he debuted in the UFC at age 19 in 2015. He went 6-2 in the Octagon and left the promotion on a two-fight winning streak.