Sage Northcutt's post-UFC run is not off to an auspicious start.
Cosmo Alexandre knocked out Northcutt in just 29 seconds Friday at ONE Championship: Enter the Dragon in Singapore. Alexandre landed a big right hand to Northcutt's jaw on the first exchange and it was over. The bout was contested at 185 pounds.
Northcutt (11-3) was on a three-fight winning streak when he left the UFC as a free agent last year. The Texas native, once considered a blue-chip prospect and future star, went 6-2 in the UFC and seemed to be on the right career trajectory after making a move to Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California.
Northcutt, still just 23 years old, fought at 170 and 155 pounds in the UFC but will compete in ONE at 185 due to the Asian promotion's stringent weight-cutting regulations, which do not allow for dehydration.
Alexandre (8-1), a championship-level kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter, is a veteran of Bellator. The Brazilian has now won eight in a row in MMA. Alexandre, 37, had last competed for ONE in November, falling to Nieky Holzken by second-round knockout in a kickboxing match.
In the main event of the card, Christian Lee stopped Shinya Aoki by TKO at 51 seconds of the second round to become the ONE lightweight champion. Lee is just 20 years old.