With more than 600 fighters on the UFC roster, it can be difficult to get noticed and even harder to be promoted heavily. That’s not the case for “Super” Sage Northcutt, who also happens to be the youngest fighter in the entire organization. The 19-year-old phenom has the body of a comic book superhero and the face of a boy band lead singer. He’s also unbeaten (7-0) with out-of-this-world athleticism and most importantly, the full-blown support of his bosses. He is a marketing department’s dream and the envy of many of his peers.
If he has one weakness it’s his inexperience. Northcutt hasn’t faced tough competition and has been put in favourable matchups in his UFC career. The fight game is brief and unforgiving. We’ve seen in the past hot prospects who look unbeatable one year fall off a cliff the following year. Northcutt looks to avoid that when he faces Bryan Barberena, a short-notice opponent. Northcutt’s original opponent, Andrew Holbrook, was forced out due to an injury. The fight will also be contested at welterweight despite both fighters being natural lightweights. Despite all the variables, Northcutt is still a 4-to-1 favourite on the betting lines but the stakes have definitely increased.
Barberena is a tough out despite how overmatched he appears to be. Coming off a loss to The Ultimate Fighter Nations winner Chad Laprise, he is in a rare position where he could get cut if he loses or rise to prominence if he wins. That must give the MMA Lab fighter a sense of both desperation and opportunity.
The Minneapolis native was originally preparing to fight Jonavin Webb in a Fox Sports 1 preliminary fight but gets a major upgrade by facing Northcutt on network television. Barberena is durable, aggressive and has enough wrestling skills to give Northcutt trouble. He has a gritty style and it can be difficult to look good when fighting him. Laprise certainly did not blow him out of the water despite winning decisively.
Northcutt was also originally prepping for a grappler in Holbrook and now must face a striker in Barberena. This poses a sizable threat to Northcutt, who despite his offensive prowess has shown defensive deficiencies — specifically with wrestling. His last opponent, Cody Pfister, took him down easily and held him there. Northcutt was a massive 10-to-1 favourite in that fight but found himself unable to do anything off his back and that is the issue here.
Barberena, despite primarily being a striker, trains with the likes of former lightweight champion Benson Henderson who is excellent at neutralizing dangerous strikers and making fights “dirty” so to speak. John Crouch is also one of the best coaches and cornermen in the business and will be helping Barberena balance his frenzied attack with a proper approach.
Perhaps the most prominent case of a late replacement pulling off a massive upset is Charlie Brenneman beating Rick Story in 2011. Story came into the fight riding a six-fight winning streak with back-to-back victories over Thiago Alves and Johny Hendricks and had trained to fight a striker in Nate Marquardt. When Marquardt pulled out of the fight the day of the weigh-ins, Brenneman, a pressure wrestler, stepped in and Story lost a decision and never quite became the same hot contender he once was.
A loss here won’t spell the end for Northcutt who isn’t even close to reaching his peak as an athlete but it would definitely put stain his unblemished resume. At the end of it all, he still has a clear path to victory here by keeping the fight standing and picking Barberena apart. He is the better athlete and the better striker and should get the job done.
Now is the time for Northcutt to really make a statement and show he can still win in impressive fashion despite the many switch-ups he’s faced in the last few weeks. After all, this is the life of a pro fighter in MMA. The unexpected is to be expected. Does Northcutt have what it takes to win regardless of what is thrown at him. He has the chance to prove he does Saturday.
