Sage Northcutt is returning to the only weight class he’s found success in the UFC.
After two submission losses in his last two fights – both of which occurred at 17 pounds – the touted prospect confirmed on this week’s The MMA Hour he would be returning to lightweight for his next fight, a division he called his natural home in MMA:
“You know, obviously, anytime you lose you learn from it,” he said on Monday. “Not that you regret it but it’s a learning experience, and I’ll be back down at 155 now. I’m a natural 155er. So, that’ll be a good weight class for me.”
Northcutt most recently faltered in his heavily hyped bout with fellow “Looking For A Fight” product Mickey Gall at last December’s UFC on FOX 22, a bout where “Super” Sage got fans buzzing about his in-cage trash talk online before getting dropped and choked out yet again. Northcutt lost his first 170-pound bout to late replacement Bryan Barberena, prompting a move back to lightweight for a decision win over Enrique Marin at 2016’s UFC 200.
Many were quick to slam his lack of submission defense after both fights, pointing out that he seems to tap out rather quickly and would benefit from a camp change from his scattershot approach to training in Texas to a more respected and established MMA camp. That has recently lead to the 20-year-old heading to frigid Milwaukee to train with UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley for his next bout, a move that can only help his chances to fulfill the supposedly massive potential he displayed in his first two UFC bouts.
When he does return, he knows it’s going to be at his original, more natural weight class – and he hopes it will be coming in the next few months:
“[I don’t have an] exactly a set date, but maybe sometime in the next three months, four months, and back at 155. So I’ll be learning the most I can until then, and improving.”
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