It’s been a year since Sage Northcutt underwent facial reconstruction surgery, but doctors have yet to clear him for his return to mixed martial arts competition.
Northcutt (11-3 MMA) suffered a first-round knockout loss to Cosmo Alexandre in his ONE Championship debut last May, which resulted in a nine-hour surgery to repair eight facial fractures.
It was Northcutt’s first career knockout loss, but the brutal finish left him with damage that has prevented him from full-contact sparring to this day.
“I’m also healing up still,” Northcutt told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m waiting for the doctors to give me the OK to have full contact, but man, I’m still eager and I can’t wait to get back out there and fight again, and I’m looking forward to it. I don’t really like to talk about it, still the same injury of course from my last fight, just healing up from that but just waiting for the doctors to give me the OK.
“I’m waiting until I can have the ability to have full-contact training because nobody wants to be able to go into a fight obviously if they’re not feeling well and they’re not healed up. And nobody wants to go into a fight, too, if they’re not being able to train full contact and train as hard as they can so as for me coming back, I want to be able to train as hard as I can and be my best ever.”
ONE Championship, like the majority of MMA promotions across the world, is currently on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak. But should they return within the next couple of months, it appears Northcutt’s comeback may be a delayed a little longer as he waits for his clearance.
One year removed from surgery, Sage Northcutt still waiting for doctor's clearance