Sage Northcutt can’t wait for the action to get underway at ONE Fight Night 13: Allazov vs. Grigorian on Prime Video this Friday, August 4.
As well as being a world-class competitor, Northcutt is a massive fan of all combat sports – and the upcoming card will feature the full spectrum of martial arts live in U.S. primetime.
With MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and submission grappling all on the bill, the American superstar is eager to see how the matchups play out at the iconic Lumpinee Boxing Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.
Here, “Super” Sage offers up his thoughts on the night’s biggest battles, including the two World Title fights in the main and co-main event slots.
Chingiz Allazov Vs. Marat Grigorian: ‘Going To Be An Insane Fight’
The headline attraction features a colossal showdown for the ONE Featherweight Kickboxing World Title between two of the sport’s top pound-for-pound athletes.
Chingiz Allazov’s incredible run has rocketed him to the top of the most stacked division in combat sports, but he’s up against an old foe who’s defeated him in the past – Marat Grigorian.
Both men push a high pace and bring intense styles to the ring, and Northcutt thinks it’s going to produce fireworks:
“That’s going to be an insane fight. The reason is I feel like from the videos I watched they have somewhat of a similar style. They’re both so aggressive.
“I love watching two aggressive fighters go after it and just want to get out there and get the finish. I think it’s going to be exciting to see who’s the more aggressive fighter out there.
“It’s a tough fight but I think it’s definitely going to be one of the most, if not the most, exciting fight of the night.”
Given that the bout will bring two old foes and elite athletes together, Northcutt knows the result will have major implications for the division.
And above all, he’s sure it will bring out the very best in both Allazov and Grigorian:
“Man, that’s huge. You take someone that’s top one or top two in the world and he’s going against the pound-for-pound champion. That’s a fight where literally anything can happen.
“They already have a little bit of history, so it’s been waiting to happen. Now it’s going down, and I think that the fans are going to absolutely love it.”
Mikey Musumeci Vs. Jarred Brooks: ‘There Could Be An Upset’
In the co-main event, ONE Flyweight Submission Grappling World Champion Mikey Musumeci defends his crown against ONE Strawweight MMA World Champion Jarred Brooks, who is switching over to a new sport.
With that in mind, Northcutt is intrigued by how Brooks’ wrestling and MMA skills will transfer over to the grappling-only rule set:
“You look at Jarred Brooks, he’s fought in MMA for so long and he’s got MMA-style wrestling. He’s got good, solid grappling. So going against Mikey Musumeci, it’s going to be an interesting matchup because it’s not just a guy that’s a straight submission grappler or competes in jiu-jitsu tournaments.
“Mikey’s the best out there. It’s going to be interesting to see how those two different styles match up and what goes down. I’m excited to watch it.”
Despite Musumeci’s historic BJJ credentials, Northcutt doesn’t want to write off the challenger. He knows it’ll be a big ask to dethrone the grappling specialist – but it’s not impossible.
He said:
“There’s always a chance that someone can be in a position where there could be an upset. Mikey’s so talented, but Jarred Brooks definitely has a different style coming in from MMA.
“I don’t even know what’s going to go down, but I know it’s going to be an exciting one.”
Tawanchai Vs. Davit Kiria: ‘Going To Be A Precision Striking Match’
As well as the World Title encounters, there’s plenty more to look forward to between some of the top stars in the organization.
ONE Featherweight Muay Thai World Champion Tawanchai PK Saenchai is moving into the kickboxing ranks and beginning his chase for two-sport glory against decorated veteran Davit Kiria.
Tawanchai has high hopes in the featherweight kickboxing division, but Kiria has a wealth of experience against the sport’s most talented combatants.
For his part, Northcutt is intrigued by the showdown:
“Based on their last fights, I feel it’s going to be a precision striking match to see who’s more accurate and who’s the one that’s lasting with the better cardio in the end.
“I’m looking forward to seeing that because I think precision, accuracy, that’s always fun to watch. It’s like a sniper hitting from the outside.”
John Lineker Vs. Kim Jae Woong: ‘I Don’t Wanna Miss It’
Former ONE Bantamweight MMA World Champion and current #1 contender John Lineker will go up against South Korean slugger Kim Jae Woong in a battle of ferocious punchers.
Northcutt expects both men to bring their best in hopes of earning a shot at reigning divisional king Fabricio Andrade:
“John Lineker is always exciting to watch, and so is his opponent. I think it’s going to be a super exciting fight between both of them.
“I’m not one to make predictions, but I’m excited to watch that and see how that goes down. I don’t wanna miss it.”
Marcus Almeida Vs. Oumar Kane: ‘Wrestling Vs. Jiu-Jitsu’
Finally, Northcutt offered his thoughts on the massive heavyweight MMA battle between BJJ legend Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida and Senegalese wrestling sensation “Reug Reug” Oumar Kane.
“Buchecha” is undefeated in his MMA career so far, posting four victories with four first-round finishes. And after suffering his first career defeat in 2021, “Reug Reug” has bounced back with a pair of wins to push his record to 5-1.
Northcutt knows that anything can happen when heavyweights collide, but he’s particularly curious about how their styles will match up this Friday.
He added:
“Man, that’s going to be an exciting fight. It’s always fun watching the heavyweights.
“In general, wrestling vs. jiu-jitsu, that’s always an interesting topic. A lot of times, wrestling can outperform and beat jiu-jitsu, and if you have strikes involved too, it can change everything.
“But if a jiu-jitsu guy knows how to tie him up and keep things really tight down there from the bottom, I feel like that can be a hard night for a wrestler.”
