Lightweight Sage “Super” Northcutt (8-1) rebounded from his recent loss to Bryan Barberena by eking out a decision win over Enrique “Wasabi” Marin (8-4) at UFC 200 on Saturday.
The three-round, 15-minute battle saw Northcutt, 20, spend most of his time defending Marin’s offensive grappling. Marin, despite landing several takedowns, failed to do much damage to Northcutt, instead finding himself cut and bloodied by some hard elbows.
The fight illustrated that Northcutt, once a highly promoted hot prospect, has a long way to go. Marin kept Northcutt against the cage for much of the fight with his grappling, and Northcutt seemed either generally unable or uninterested in countering it, often waiting passively instead of working to escape. While he did manage some reversals and ultimately did more damage in the fight, there were several opportunities to choke Marin—including some with a grip already in place—that Northcutt never fully seized.
Marin put Northcutt in dangerous positions twice; one was this armbar, which Northcutt rolled out of:
How did @sagenorthcutt not tap?! That armbar was DEEP! #UFC200 @MetroPCS #closerthanever https://t.co/yNBsX5vMqB
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) July 10, 2016
The other instance was a kimura setup that looked promising, with Northcutt immobilized between Marin’s legs. The Texan defended that too, ending up in his opponent’s closed guard, where he dropped some hard elbows.
Northcutt won a unanimous decision based on the damage he inflicted, despite spending much of the fight under Marin’s control.
Northcutt salvaged a decision by defending takedowns and cutting Marin w/ elbows, but he was underwhelming at 155. Kid has a long way to go.
— Josh Gross (@yay_yee) July 10, 2016
In all seriousness 29-28 Sage for me. Marin controlled a huge chunk of that round but with no offense and Sage dished out damage. #UFC200
— Kale Reinvented (@goatcheeseNIPS) July 10, 2016
With his second loss in his second fight in the UFC, Marin’s future is murky. The UFC has previously cut new fighters with similar records; the most he can likely hope for is a fight against a debuting lightweight on a Fight Pass prelim.
Northcutt, who is still young in his career, will need to improve fast if he wants to keep pace with fellow UFC lightweights. His father—also his coach—has received some harsh criticism, especially after Northcutt’s confusing submission loss to Barberena. He tapped quickly to an arm-in triangle, which is a technique that can come on fast. But his lack of any attempt to defend and the haste with which he tapped compared to how tight it appeared undermined the suggestion he was a rising phenom.
But they’re legitimately going to have to give Northcutt nothing but newcomers and regional quality talent until he shows improvement.
— Mookie Alexander (@mookiealexander) July 10, 2016
Although Northcutt has also been training at Tristar Gym and is a powerful, fast athlete, his shortcomings in his defense against an opponent with mediocre grappling underscores his need for more targeted training. Until that happens, the UFC will need to hand him newcomers and regional fighters if it wants to keep that hype train moving, as Bloody Elbow’s Mookie Alexander noted above.
Of course, it’s possible the UFC will simply abandon its marketing. Northcutt shows a lot of promise and is in excellent physical condition, but that is not sufficient to excel in the UFC—at least, not for long, as his last two fights have appeared to illustrate.
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