UFC president Dana White would like to see ex-UFC fighter Sage Northcutt, 23, step away from MMA.
Dana White found Sage Northcutt on his show Lookin’ for a Fight in 2015. White signed Northcutt, then 19, to the UFC after a submission win at a Legacy FC event.
Less than four years later, the UFC president hopes Northcutt’s days in MMA are over.
White said following a brutal knockout loss in his ONE Championship debut, he wants to see Northcutt hang up his gloves and move on from the sport.
“I would really like to see Sage Northcutt retire,” White told TSN. “I hope he does. Good-looking, charismatic kid, smart. He was taking college to be an engineer. He’s got a lot going on in his life.
“This isn’t the sport for him. I don’t want to sound like I’m sh-tting all over the guy, because I really like the kid a lot. But this isn’t the sport for him. I would love to see him retire before he seriously gets hurt.”
Northcutt, who made his debut in the UFC in late 2015, recorded a 6-2 record in the promotion. He had wins over the likes of Zat Ottow and Cody Pfister, both finishes. His two losses were tough submissions to Mickey Gall and Bryan Barberena. His first UFC fight was a 57-second knockout.
Northcutt and the UFC parted ways following his TKO of Ottow at UFC Boise last July. “Super” signed with Asia-based ONE Championship and made his debut against Cosmo Alexandre last month. He suffered a 29-second defeat, snapping a three-fight winning streak.
White said though Northcutt is talented, he’s not good enough to fight in MMA. Plus, White said, there are a lot of other ways he can earn money — he doesn’t have to fight to make a living.
“He needs to retire,” White said of Northcutt. “Hopefully the people that surround him listen to what I’m saying and set this kid on another path in life. He can literally do whatever he wants to do — he’s young, he’s smart. Some people have to fight. Sage Northcutt doesn’t have to fight.”