(via UFC on FOX)
You might not know this, Potato Nation, but there’s a 19-year old kid who’s been making quite a splash in the UFC over the past few months. He goes by the name of Sage Northcutt, and while we may not have been paying him quite as much lip service around these parts as everywhere else, it’s safe to say that he has all the star-making potential that the UFC could use more of in these post-Rousey times.
Of course, with Northcutt’s incredible rise to popularity has come the inevitable, almost inexplicably-cruel backlash, and boy did Northcutt ever receive that following his hype train-derailing loss to short-notice opponent Bryan Barberena at UFC on FOX 18 last weekend.
From what we’ve been able to glean, Northcutt’s crimes seem to be that he is 1) Impossibly wholesome/athletic/good-looking and 2) Gets paid “too much.” Now to us, those issues (especially the second) seem to reflect more on both the lack of charisma that most fighters possess and the pathetic state of fighter pay more than anything else, but every cause needs a scapegoat, and Northcutt — being the Ken Doll-looking, hand-picked prodigy that he is — was quickly assigned that status after being plucked from obscurity on Dana White’s Youtube series, Looking for a Fight.
Two quick victories and a couple massive paydays later (relatively speaking), the MMA community had already begun to vocalize its discontention for Northcutt, what with his penchant for awesome flips and “respect” for “people.” Like Tim Tebow before him, it seemed that many of our gripes with “Super” reflected more upon us than the man (kid) being put on trial, which rather than forcing us to look inward and examine ourselves, only fueled our need to see him fail all the more.
So from the moment Northcutt’s tap to Bryan Barberena’s arm-triangle was labeled “quick” by color commentator Joe Rogan — a declaration that seemed accurate, we might add — you just knew that the response from his doubters would be especially vicious. As it just so happens, many of Northcutt’s doubters were not online trolls as you might expect, but actual UFC-employed fighters.
“Woo!!! Tapped like a little Bitch & Tried to tel the Ref Different!! @sagenorthcutt VonFlu/Got You,” wrote top lightweight contender Tony Ferguson, a class act if there ever was one.
“I want 40k for a scaredy tap #northcut,” noted Angela Magana, proud owner of zero UFC wins and an Instagram account.
“Omg what a pussy!!! Dude gave up. No heart. Ufc give me his 40/40 next time cause no f—ing way I would get finished with that s—! Lol,” wrote James Vick, who I would make a joke about if he was a memorable enough personality to warrant one.
Again, you’ll notice that many of the fighters main complaints seem to be leveled at Northcutt, when it’s the UFC management that should be their intended target. It’s the kind of short-sightedness that perhaps helps one understand why no fighter union has been formed despite ever-restrictive UFC policies, but I’m getting away from the topic at hand here. Sage Northcutt lost, and because he dared to participate in the UFC’s hype machine, we took great pleasure in seeing him cut down to size. This year’s harvest will be plentiful and great, ye.
Elsewhere on UFC on FOX 18, Ryan Bader suffered a lightning fast KO loss to Anthony Johnson after attempting quite possibly the least set-up takedown attempt in the history of the sport. As was the case in his losses to Tito Ortiz and Lyoto Machida before — the former of which his career may never recover from — Bader proved that despite his many improvements, he is simply one mental mistake away from being completely outclassed by the division’s elite. And Tito Ortiz.
Also, “Rumble” Johnson hits hard — like really, really hard — and you probably wouldn’t want to get punched by him.
In other surprising developments from the card, Ben Rothwell continued his improbable career comeback by becoming the first man to submit Josh Barnett (with an actual submission). The incredible finish came via midway through the second round of their co-main event scrap, via the same Gogo choke that he used to submit Matt Mitrione in his last contest. Given just how proficient and skilled a grappler we know Barnett to be, the win should arguably place Rothwell on the short list of title contenders. The power of shelf expression, ladies and gentlemen.
The full results from UFC on FOX 18 are below.
Main card
Anthony Johnson def. Ryan Bader via TKO (R1, 1:26)
Ben Rothwell def. Josh Barnett via submission (guillotine) (R2, 3:48)
Jimmie Rivera def. Iuri Alcantara via unanimous decision
Bryan Barberena def. Sage Northcutt via submission
Undercard
Tarec Saffiedine def. Jake Ellenberger via unanimous decision
Diego Ferreira def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier via UD
Rafael Natal def. Kevin Casey via third-round TKO (3:37)
Wilson Reis def. Dustin Ortiz via unanimous decision
Alexander Yakovlev def. George Sullivan via KO (R1, 3:59)
Alex Caceres def. Masio Fullen via unanimous decision
Randy Brown def. Matt Dwyer via unanimous decision
Levan Makashvili vs. Damon Jackson ends in majority draw (29-27 Jackson, 28-28 x2)
Tony Martin def. Felipe Olvieri via submission (rear-naked choke) (R3, 3:02)
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