Sage Northcutt moved back up to welterweight at UFC Boise, looking to finally capture a win at 170lbs against veteran Zak Ottow.
Incredibly, Sage Northcutt has been fighting in the UFC since he was but 19 years old. Having just turned 22, Northcutt is 5-2 in the promotion — however both losses have been at welterweight. He was back at that weight class against Zak Ottow at UFC Boise on Saturday, in the evening’s co-main event. Ottow had just came off a win over the retiring Mike Pyle at UFC 222.
Round one featured Zak Ottow dominating Sage until the last minute, thanks to an early takedown. Ottow was on the ground landing ground and pound, looking for submissions and having his way on the ground. However Sage got back to his feet and started landing combinations, then looked for a guillotine and moved to mount as the round ended. With the late-round comeback attempt, it looked like Sage had all the momentum going into round two.
The second started with Zak Ottow looking for more takedowns, but Sage outlasted him and Ottow looked tired. Northcutt got back to his feet and landed a number of incredibly precise combinations that Ottow simply could not defend. He clutched for a leg in desperation, but Northcutt unleashed a number of hammer fists. Just like that, Super Sage was a winner at 170.
Northcutt gave one of his traditional post-fight speeches, basically reminding everyone that he’s the most polite, mild-mannered kid on the planet. He spoke of the power of words, and the complications (including college) that led to his initial struggles at welterweight. Something worth noting is that Sage is still incredibly young not just in the sport (he’s actually been in martial arts for years, but relatively new in MMA) but in life as well. Saturday at UFC Boise was arguably his best performance in the octagon. A good comeback win against a veteran, reminding fans that he has plenty of development, and plenty of big fights, ahead of him.
Sage Northcutt def. Zak Ottow by TKO, Round 2, 3:13
