A defeated Northcutt needed surgery to repair facial fractures suffered during the bout, but he still hasn’t been cleared to train one year after the bout took place.
“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.”
It also has been nearly two years since Northcutt last won a bout, which came over Zak Ottow at UFC Fight Night Boise.
The fighter is willing to wait as long as possible to get cleared so he can return as a better competitor than ever before.
“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,” says Northcutt.
There could be quite a delay right now in Northcutt’s return, as the coronavirus pandemic has caused One Championship to delay events for the next few months.
