One Championship: Sage Northcutt looks to avoid Eddie Alvarez’s fate on Singapore debut

Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson made memorable One Championship debuts in March – for different reasons – and now it’s the turn of their fellow former UFC fighter “Super” Sage Northcutt. The 23-year-old will be up against Brazil’s Cosmo Alexandre on the Asian MMA outfit’s “Enter the Dragon” card at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Friday. Alvarez suffered a first-round TKO by Timofey Nastyukhin at the famed Ryogoku Sumo Hall in March, while Johnson overcame some early pressure to submit Yuya Wakamatsu in the second round. “I saw both their debuts,” Northcutt said at the pre-event press conference. “You can see there’s a tonne of talent fighting here, some amazing strikers – just look at this card.” The event is headlined by Shinya Aoki defending his lightweight title against Christian Lee, and also features the first round of the eight-man One featherweight world kick-boxing grand prix, the winner of whom will earn US$1 million. But it is Northcutt’s fight again Alexandre that could capture most attention from around the world. “Good Boy” Alexandre will be no pushover either – he’s a 37-year-old veteran who has been fighting for 16 years and is a seven-time world kick-boxing and muay thai champion. “I’ve got a very talented opponent with lots of experience,” Northcutt said. “Coming over here I’ve been training my hardest, and getting lots of experience with lots of great strikers. I learned to be ready for every fight. I’m very excited, I’m really looking forward to this Friday.” One Championship: Eddie Alvarez and Demetrious Johnson fights bust myths about Asian martial arts “I don’t really see any weakness on him, he has a lot of strengths,” Northcutt added. “He’s a very good striker, has a lot of experience, but for me I’ve grown up striking since I was a little kid, so this will be a super fun fight.” Alvarez may have made his name fighting in Japan earlier in his career, but like Johnson this will be Northcutt’s first bout in Asia. That brings different challenges, such as the time difference, but the American said he has adjusted and “feels great” after flying out from the US on Thursday and arriving on Saturday. One Championship: Eddie Alvarez’s career at a crossroads after shock defeat “I think One Championship, the whole organisation and everybody over here in Asia is amazing, it’s a culture based on respect and honour, it's about the true martial arts – that’s how I’ve been raised since four years old starting martial arts,” Northcutt said. Alexandre will be looking to pull off another seismic shock in the world of MMA. And though he knows his opponent’s pedigree, he sent out a warning. “He’s young, I know he’s really good,” Alexandre said. “Everybody knows him in America, I’m living there now in Florida. Of course I’m excited, for me it’s just a fight though. I fought almost everybody here on this stage already. “It’s kind of different because it’s MMA now. But I did my best in my camp, believe me. I trained harder than ever. I’m 37, I feel stronger than ever. I’m ready for this fight. I’m sure you guys will love it.” One Championship CEO and founder Chatri Sityodtong will certainly be keeping a keen eye on the outcome – he said he believes Northcutt “is a global phenomenon in the making”. A loss here first up could damage his prospects, however. The Thai-Japanese Chatri is equally pumped for his main event, though. “I love Christian, I love Shinya like a little brother,” he said. “Singapore, you do not want to miss this one. I think it’s going to end in one or two rounds.” One Championship: Demetrious Johnson is playing second fiddle for the first time in his life … and he’s loving it Aoki asked for the fight with his teammate and friend Lee after shocking Eduard Folayang in Tokyo. “Christian is the best prospect not just in Asia but the world. This is the best time for me to hunt the young lion down,” Aoki said. Singapore’s own Lee will be cornered by his sister, One’s atomweight champion Angela Lee, and will be hoping to bring some more gold back home at the second time of asking after losing his first title fight last year. “This is truly a dream come true for me,” he said. “I want to say thank you to my opponent for giving me the opportunity to fight for his world title. Shinya and I are teammates and friends, but above all else, true martial artists “When we step into that ring, there will be no emotions, simply a test of skill and will, and we’ll see who the better fighter is. We’ll be looking to finish each other as quick as possible.”