Colbey Northcutt Ready To Show Full Arsenal: ‘I’m Not Just A Striker’
Colbey Northcutt is adamant that she will take full advantage of her return to the Circle in front of a U.S. prime-time television audience.
The Texas native, who will meet Courtney “No Mercy” Martin in a catchweight mixed martial arts fight at “ONE on TNT IV” this Wednesday, 28 April, recognizes the massive platform that she’s been given.
“It’s a huge honor because it is such a tremendous card and a tremendous opportunity. I don’t take that lightly whatsoever,” Northcutt says.
“I do understand the magnitude of what being on this card is, so that means I’m going to come out and [give] the best performance of my life.”
Northcutt is coming off a clear-cut unanimous decision over Putri “Ami” Padmi at ONE: EDGE OF GREATNESS.
The American rocked her Indonesian rival early in the contest and nearly submitted her a couple of times in the opening stanza. She continued to showcase her striking dominance in the final two rounds to earn a decisive victory.
Northcutt was certainly pleased to earn the win in her promotional debut, but she also would have liked to avoid reaching the scorecards.
“There was kind of a lot going into that last fight. There was the possibility of some ring rust, but also, I was fighting for literally the biggest promotion in the entire world and the biggest audience I’ve ever fought in front of. It was just an entirely new experience,” the 28-year-old Texan says.
“I’m very happy with how that performance went. Looking back at it, there were some adjustments I definitely could have made to get those finishes that I have been working on.”
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Following that win, Northcutt identified potential areas of improvement and developed those skills at her Southern California home base, The Treigning Lab.
And after she accepted the fight against Martin at “ONE on TNT IV,” the multiple-time Karate World Champion joined her younger brother, “Super” Sage Northcutt, at Team Alpha Male in Sacramento.
“Sage has been an awesome training partner and brother and has been wanting me to come up for a very long time, and it just looked like the timing was right for this camp. So, he invited me to come up and train with him at that gym,” she says.
“It’s no secret that I have a striking background, and that’s my bread and butter. I love to work my striking, but for this camp, in particular, I focused a lot more on my wrestling, my cage work, and my jiu-jitsu.
“I had to just kind of throw myself into the fire, so to speak, with all of the wrestling. I feel like the best way you can learn is to put yourself into those situations and then do it again and again and again.”
Sage was also scheduled to compete at “ONE on TNT IV,” but he was forced to withdraw due to lingering COVID-19 symptoms. Competing on the same event has long been a goal for the siblings, but that moment will have to wait.
“When I first got signed with ONE, that was a dream-slash-goal that we both had,” she says.
“I’m very heartbroken that he not only isn’t fighting on this card with me but isn’t able to go to Singapore because of his health. But I know there will be other opportunities in the future, for sure.”
As a result, Northcutt will carry the torch for her family inside the Singapore Indoor Stadium this week.
It’s a task she accepts with open arms, although she expects Martin to pose a tough challenge.
“Courtney is a very, very tough opponent. I feel like she’s a very well-rounded fighter in every area of MMA. She’s got good striking, she’s super aggressive, she likes to go forward, and she’s very tough,” Northcutt says.
“She’s game. She accepted a fight on a huge card on basically two weeks’ notice. That shows me right there that she’s not afraid, and she’s going to come and she’s going to bring it.”
Of course, the Australian will not be the only athlete looking to be aggressive when the bell rings.
Northcutt also wants to make an emphatic statement and plans to finish Martin – whether on the feet or on the ground.
“Everybody would love a fantastic knockout from standing. I mean, that’s my background, and that’s what I wanted in my last fight,” the American says.
“I don’t think anybody could argue and say that they don’t want that. But I’ve got quite a few submissions from my amateur career, too.
“Fans should expect fireworks. It’s going to be Colbey 2.0 out there, and I’m going to show everybody that I’m not just a striker. I’m a complete well-rounded mixed martial artist, and they should expect the best fight of my career.”
Read more: How Colbey Northcutt Was Raised To Be A Martial Arts World Champion
