“The Range Is So Diverse With the Best Guys in the World” – Sage Northcutt Says Fans Are Catching On to ONE Championship’s Exciting Shows

Published 11/14/2023, 5:51 AM EST

Global MMA superstar Sage Northcutt joined ONE Championship in 2018, and he is enjoying watching the organization rise to worldwide recognition. The American fighter previously showcased his talents in the UFC before moving to ONE, and he believes that many fans in his country will choose to switch allegiance as they become more familiar with the world’s largest martial arts organization’s events.

ONE debuted on U.S. shores to much fanfare this past May at ONE Fight Night 16, and it’s been the talk of the combat sports world since. According to Northcutt, the number of world-class fighters and multiple martial arts disciplines on offer makes the Asia-based promotion’s shows accessible and enthralling to people looking for more than just MMA.

What does Sage Northcutt have to say about ONE?

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“They’re the largest organization in the whole world. They have a crazy amount of viewers, but they’re also coming to the U.S. now. You hear people talking about, ‘Wow, ONE’s going to take over the UFC. ONE’s kicking butt – they’re taking names,’” he told ONE in a recent interview.

“You look at the roster of athletes. ONE Championship, I believe, has the most World Champions out of any organization in the whole world. I wouldn’t doubt if ONE had the most World Champions if you combined every organization together against ONE. So, they have top-level fighters. Top-level strikers.”

“They got submission grappling, Muay Thai, kickboxing. It’s like, the range is so diverse with the best guys in the world, that really it’s one of the most exciting organizations in the whole world.” Making a push into the North American martial arts market is no easy feat for a promotion, and “Super” credits ONE for showcasing each of the sports under its banner while doing so.

Its monthly events are broadcast in U.S. primetime via streaming giant Prime Video, and fans get to observe and learn about combat sports from all over the world while watching. Northcutt believes that type of exposure will only serve to promote them and create new fans in The West and beyond.

What’s the key to exciting the U.S. audience?

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“I think it’s pretty big, especially when you’re talking about coming over from overseas into the U.S. The Americans, and the U.S, getting to see something different. You get to see different styles of martial arts, not just MMA, but you’re going to be like, ‘Ok, this is Muay Thai.’ You get to see people from Thailand, people from all around, and they’re just straight going at it,” he said.

Also Read: “The Range Is So Diverse With the Best Guys in the World” – Sage Northcutt Says Fans Are Catching On to ONE Championship’s Exciting Shows

“[There’s] submission grappling, the best grapplers around. Mikey and Shinya [just went] at it. You are not talking about just the same weight class right there, you’re making super-fights. That kind of thing excites fans, especially people in the U.S. I know what excites them, and I think that’s really important for getting the U.S. fan base really drawn to ONE Championship.”

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ONE Chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodtong recently teased that the promotion will return to the United States in 2024, and that it’s working on bringing events to countries like England and Qatar. With “Super’s” observations on its success in the US, it won’t be surprising to see ONE break further records in fandom and viewership in the coming 12 months.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sage Northcutt Offers Some Insight into the ONE Championship World

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Written by:

I'm Prit Chauhan, and I'm a UFC writer at EssentiallySports. I've been in the writing business for three years, covering areas like mass media marketing, and even tried my hand at fiction. My experience includes research work at the University of California, Berkeley, which helps me spin fact-based stories about the world of Mixed Martial Arts effortlessly.

Edited by:

Yeswanth Praveen

“The Range Is So Diverse With the Best Guys in the World” – Sage Northcutt Says Fans Are Catching On to ONE Championship’s Exciting Shows

What does Sage Northcutt have to say about ONE?

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