Eddie Alvarez And Sage Northcutt Appear On 'Inside The NBA'

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Last week, two of ONE Championship’s biggest signees had the opportunity to hang out with basketball royalty.

Ahead of ONE: A NEW ERA on 31 March, which will air on B/R Live and TNT in the United States, American megastars Eddie “The Underground King” Alvarez and “Super” Sage Northcutt stopped by TNT’s Atlanta studios to film a segment for ‘Inside the NBA.’

The segment opened up with the duo speaking to host Ernie Johnson and basketball legends Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith about how ONE is truly The Home Of Martial Arts.

“ONE Championship, it’s a plethora of martial arts. They have boxing, kickboxing, mixed [martial arts], it’s all in one show,” said Alvarez, a four-time Lightweight Mixed Martial Arts World Champion.

“It’s not just MMA. You can go to a ONE event and you can see everything. You can see jiu-jitsu, you can see kickboxing, [and you can see] an MMA match next. It’s really cool for the underground and the real hardcore MMA fans.”

Alvarez and Northcutt showed off a few moves to the ‘Inside The NBA’ crew, and following the demonstration, got Shaq to do some pad work as well.

The duo also explained how martial artists are just like any other professional athletes who play various sports around the globe.

For instance, O’Neal and Barkley are recognized as legends in their sport, and both dreamed of playing in the NBA during their respective childhoods.

The same could be said for many of the athletes who compete in The Home Of Martial Arts.

Northcutt is a perfect example. He started training at a very early age, and now he has the opportunity to exemplify ONE’s core values.

“I was kind of bred for it since I was a little kid,” the Karate World Champion explained.

“My parents started me off in martial arts when I was four [years old]. I grew up with a brother and sister — my brother Shaun and my sister Colbey. We all did martial arts together.

“It sounds really aggressive and crazy, but it’s no different than a game. You’re out there trying to outwit the other fighter. It’s fun.”

Alvarez will make his official promotional debut at ONE: A NEW ERA in Tokyo, Japan. He is scheduled to face Russian knockout artist Timofey Nastyukhin in the last ONE Lightweight World Grand Prix quarter-final bout.

Northcutt, meanwhile, is expected to make his ONE Championship debut later this year.