Colbey Northcutt Takes the MMA Path Less Traveled
Colbey Northcutt’s journey in mixed martial arts has been far different than that of her brother, former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Sage Northcutt. After a second extended hiatus from the sport, she returns to the cage for just the second time as a professional on Nov. 22. This time, she will do so as a new member of the One Championship roster at “Edge of Greatness,” inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium.
Just like her brother, Northcutt, 26, competed on the amateur MMA scene from 2013 to 2014. However, unlike Sage, she did not enter the professional ranks soon after. Instead, he fought 10 times and became a well-known competitor in the UFC, while she went to college and continued to develop her skills on the side. After almost three years, she would eventually make her pro debut for Legacy Fighting Alliance in June of 2017. Unfortunately, it was a losing affair to fellow newcomer Courtney King. The disappointing result led to another hiatus. This particular time, she switched camps and joined the Treigning Lab in Placentia, California, a facility that has gained a reputation for being the training home of former UFC bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw and Bellator MMA veterans Juan Archuleta and Georgi Karakhanyan. As she brings her 29-month sabbatical to an end, the obvious questions are: Why now, why One Championship and did her brother joining the organization earlier in the year have an influence?
“It’s obviously no secret, [in] professional MMA I’m 0-1. So, I know I’m here because of my relation to Sage. He helped me open the door. The [family] name obviously does help, and so I’m very grateful for the opportunity. I know other fighters work their butt off to make it to One Championship, or any other promotion like that. I just felt like the timing was right. I knew earlier this year that I wanted to fight again. And I tried to get fights with different promotions here and there, and I was looking around, but everything just kept falling through. Nothing was really working out, and then I flew to Singapore for Sage’s last fight. Met Chatri [Sityodtong One Championship CEO], we had a conversation, and I’ve absolutely loved what One Championship stands for. When you look at all the fighters, everybody is very respectable [and] humble. They treat each other with respect. There’s no trash talk. It’s like a whole different atmosphere when you’re here.”
