Sage Northcutt wins MMA return with 39-second heel hook

Former UFC prospect Sage Northcutt wasted no time in his comeback fight after spending almost four years away from mixed martial arts.

Northcutt submitted Ahmed Mujtaba with a heel hook 39 seconds into their 170-pound bout at ONE Fight Night 10 on Friday night in Broomfield, Colorado.

"My wrestling and jiu-jitsu, it's improved drastically," Northcutt said in his postfight interview. "I feel like a complete fighter now. I'm excited to be back out here."

Mujtaba clipped Northcutt with a jab in the opening seconds of the fight and got on top. After a few moments on the bottom, Northcutt managed to grab hold of Mujtaba's leg and forced the tap.

This was the 27-year-old's first fight since May 2019 when he lost his ONE Championship debut via a brutal 29-second knockout. He suffered several facial injuries in that fight.

Northcutt was initially scheduled to return to action in April 2021 against Shinya Aoki, but he had to withdraw from the fight after testing positive for COVID-19.

Northcutt has been a popular name in MMA since he debuted with the UFC as a 19-year-old in 2015. He won that fight by first-round knockout and went on to put together a 6-2 record in the Octagon.

"Super" parted ways with the UFC and joined ONE Championship on the heels of a three-fight winning streak. He's now 4-1 in his last five appearances and 12-3 in pro MMA overall.