Matt Serra staying positive about ‘good kid’ Sage Northcutt following first UFC loss

Best fights are still ahead of 19-year-old Sage Northcutt according to former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra

The hype train known as Sage Northcutt may have been derailed two weeks ago at UFC on FOX 18, but that doesn’t mean former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra won’t be climbing back aboard one day.

That’s because according to the “Terra”, “Super” Sage is still only a “kid” who has a big future ahead of him.

“He’s 19,” Serra told FOX Sports writer Damon Martin. “I had my first fight in the UFC at 26 and I lost to a spinning back fist and I’ve grown so much since then. By the time this guy’s 23 he could be a different guy for the better.”

Serra is, of course, referring to the famous Shonie Carter spinning backfist that erased three rounds of asskicking he’d inflicted on the journeyman warrior prior to getting knocked out. The New York native avenged that loss on The Ultimate Fighter: Comeback before going on to defeat world champion Georges St-Pierre in what is one of the most unlikely cinderella sports stories of all-time.

And Serra believes Northcutt might be able to do the same thing.

“I know Sage Northcutt’s getting a lot of crap for this last fight,” Serra said. “If [UFC president Dana White] was here, he would show you a picture that would make you not want to eat your lunch. That kid had an infection in his throat, but it looked like something out of “Aliens.” Did he tap early? Yeah, he probably did but that kid probably shouldn’t have been fighting. Dana’s kicking himself saying ‘I shouldn’t have let this kid fight’ but in hindsight the kid was begging to fight.”

Aliens, indeed.

Sage Northcutt’s meteoric rise from relative unknown to UFC star in the span of four months was fueled mainly by the fact White scouted the prospect as part of the reality series “Looking for a Fight.” Northcutt made good on his opportunity, winning back-to-back fights via stoppage, before finally hitting a wall named Bryan Barberena.

Many fans and fighters and writers (including me) slammed him for tapping out almost immediately on a triangle choke that didn’t look very tight at all. But Serra’s not convinced that was an indication of his full potential.

“First of all if you ever meet the kid, I’m talking ‘Brady Bunch’ nice. It’s almost ridiculous how nice this kid is,” Serra said. “Such a good kid so you really want him to do well but I think his best fights are ahead of him. The kid is 19.”

What do you think? Can Northcutt rebound to become a formidable force in UFC? Or was his Jimmy Quinlan impression a glimpse into the mind of a one-hitter quitter? As always, we welcome your wisdom in the comments.

Best fights are still ahead of 19-year-old Sage Northcutt according to former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra

The hype train known as Sage Northcutt may have been derailed two weeks ago at UFC on FOX 18, but that doesn’t mean former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra won’t be climbing back aboard one day.

That’s because according to the “Terra”, “Super” Sage is still only a “kid” who has a big future ahead of him.

“He’s 19,” Serra told FOX Sports writer Damon Martin. “I had my first fight in the UFC at 26 and I lost to a spinning back fist and I’ve grown so much since then. By the time this guy’s 23 he could be a different guy for the better.”

Serra is, of course, referring to the famous Shonie Carter spinning backfist that erased three rounds of asskicking he’d inflicted on the journeyman warrior prior to getting knocked out. The New York native avenged that loss on The Ultimate Fighter: Comeback before going on to defeat world champion Georges St-Pierre in what is one of the most unlikely cinderella sports stories of all-time.

And Serra believes Northcutt might be able to do the same thing.

“I know Sage Northcutt’s getting a lot of crap for this last fight,” Serra said. “If [UFC president Dana White] was here, he would show you a picture that would make you not want to eat your lunch. That kid had an infection in his throat, but it looked like something out of “Aliens.” Did he tap early? Yeah, he probably did but that kid probably shouldn’t have been fighting. Dana’s kicking himself saying ‘I shouldn’t have let this kid fight’ but in hindsight the kid was begging to fight.”

Aliens, indeed.

Sage Northcutt’s meteoric rise from relative unknown to UFC star in the span of four months was fueled mainly by the fact White scouted the prospect as part of the reality series “Looking for a Fight.” Northcutt made good on his opportunity, winning back-to-back fights via stoppage, before finally hitting a wall named Bryan Barberena.

Many fans and fighters and writers (including me) slammed him for tapping out almost immediately on a triangle choke that didn’t look very tight at all. But Serra’s not convinced that was an indication of his full potential.

“First of all if you ever meet the kid, I’m talking ‘Brady Bunch’ nice. It’s almost ridiculous how nice this kid is,” Serra said. “Such a good kid so you really want him to do well but I think his best fights are ahead of him. The kid is 19.”

What do you think? Can Northcutt rebound to become a formidable force in UFC? Or was his Jimmy Quinlan impression a glimpse into the mind of a one-hitter quitter? As always, we welcome your wisdom in the comments.