After some slight complications, the rumored battle between promising young prospects Sage Northcutt and Mickey Gall is official.
News arrived from ESPN today that Northcutt will face Gall at December 17’s UFC on FOX 22 from Sacramento, California; news that was soon confirmed by the promotion online.
The potential bout quickly became a hot topic in the UFC after Gall immediately called out Northcutt by calling him “corny” in his post-fight interview after he battered and submitted former WWE champion CM Punk at September 10’s UFC 203 from Cleveland. Northcutt was quick to accept on social media, but the bout had to be pushed back from a potential UFC 205 slot when Northcutt’s father revealed his son had a staph infection.
The win was 25-year-old Gall’s second stoppage in the UFC, but he’s faced highly inexperienced competition as of right now. Beating CM Punk obviously pushed his scope of recognition far more than years of grinding the regional circuits would have, so like Gall also said at UFC 203, now is the time when his real journey begins.
He’ll face no small task in Northcutt, who, while also being accused of facing less-than-stellar competition in his highly hyped run in the UFC, has still gone 3-1 against UFC-caliber competition since his Octagon debut last year. He most recently outlasted TUF: Latin America competitor Enrique Marin at July 9’s UFC 200, and his lone UFC loss remains at the hands of the underrated Bryan Barberena.
Both Northcutt and Gall, interestingly enough, were recruited to the UFC on Dana White’s “Lookin’ For A Fight” show. After submitting both Punk and Mike Jackson in his only two fights in the Octagon, Gall’s jiu-jitsu could pose problems for the more striking-focused Northcutt, as his only loss came to an arm-triangle choke many felt wasn’t even fully locked in.
UFC on FOX 22 still awaits a headliner and the rest of its card. The event will take place from the new Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.
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