Mickey Gall continues to impress inside of the UFC Octagon, as he comes off of a second round submission win over young mixed martial arts (MMA) star Sage Northcutt in their co-main event meeting at last night’s (Saturday December 17, 2016) UFC on FOX 22 event from California. Gall clipped ‘Super Sage’ with a wild
Mickey Gall continues to impress inside of the UFC Octagon, as he comes off of a second round submission win over young mixed martial arts (MMA) star Sage Northcutt in their co-main event meeting at last night’s (Saturday December 17, 2016) UFC on FOX 22 event from California.
Gall clipped ‘Super Sage’ with a wild overhand right that rocked the youngster, and the Gracie jiu-jitsu brown belt was able to capitalize off of a stuffed takedown attempt to lock in the rear-naked choke and force Northcutt to tap. Prior to that, however, Northcutt was noticeably saying things to Gall during their bout, talking some trash to his adversary after cutting him open, something nobody really expected from the polite young Texan.
During the post-fight press conference (courtesy of MMA Fighting) Gall revealed exactly what Northcutt was telling him during their bout:
“I’ll tell you this first,” Gall said. “I wanted to play the bad guy a little bit for this, but there is no way you could be the nice guy with Sage. I wanted to talk to get him to engage with me a little bit, make him step out of his character and talk some crap maybe. And he didn’t the whole time, I was just like, ‘Ah, he’s such a sweet kid and he’s not going to do it.’ But it came out in the fight and you saw how the fight went down and I think that helped me.
“So what he said was when he stood up from my guard he was like, ‘Get up, get up,’ and he was standing right over me, so I was like, ‘Why don’t you come down? I thought you said you jiu-jitsu is better than mine,’ because he said that in the show. And the when I got up I was like, ‘What? you’re tired?’, and he was like, ‘Nah, I never get tired.’ I got to say, I like Sage with an edge. And when he blackened my eye and then he cut me, he was like, ‘Oh, that was good.’ He was talking some crap, I like that he came out a little bit.”
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada for USA TODAY Sports
After his win over Northcutt, Gall expressed his interest in dropping down to the 155-pound division, claiming he believes he’ll be the champion of the talent-stacked weight class in the near future. Gall even went as far as challenging UFC veteran Dan Hardy to a lightweight bout if he decides to return to fighting action.
Gall dispatched of Sage Northcutt last night in UFC Sacramento and confirmed his plan to hold McGregor’s belt within two years
UFC on Fox 22 in Sacramento saw the 24 year old prospect submit ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt to earn him a 3-0 record in the promotion.
While it may be too early to suggest a hype train is ready to gather pace, Gall’s latest victory against Northcutt (8-2) is a positive step towards more recognition and bigger fights. His latest opponent had won three of his four UFC fights, and is a well known name in MMA, due to his impressive striking and flair for showmanship.
Mickey Gall has high hopes
It took the New Jersey man less than two rounds to dispatch the younger Texan: Gall looked comfortable in a lopsided first round, and ended the contest in the second via rear-naked choke. The man who defeated C.M Punk at UFC 203 was positive in his post-fight interview, telling Brian Stann (and the MMA world) the name he wants next:
“I’m gonna drop down to 155 – I’m a little young in the tooth for 170. I think I’ll go down there, I’ll be the champion in a couple of years”.
When asked who is next, the Gracie New Jersey fighter said:
“I’d like to welcome back Dan Hardy – he’s coming back, and said he wants a marquee fight. Name a marquee fight right now? I’d be honoured to fight him, he’s a legend. I’d love to fight him”
Due to a heart condition, Hardy (34) has not fought since a 2012 decision victory over Amir Sadollah in Nottingham, England. It remains to be seen if he will step back into the octagon in 2017, so Gall may need to focus his attentions elsewhere for now. “The Outlaw” did have a response to the call out via twitter:
Gall states that calling out Hardy was a “Hail Mary” which would assist in his ambition for bigger fights. McGregor’s name was also used as an example of how a fighter can find success when dropping down a weight class.
“I want to take out guys who have bigger names than me, who have more star power. Big names make nice trophies and I want some nice trophies, you know” said Gall.
“I plan on going down to 155. Making 170 is pretty easy; 155 will be pretty tough, but I think I’ll be the champion there. I like the way Conor went down [to featherweight] and suffered and made himself a champion, made himself a star. I think I can do the same thing”
“I’m tossing out the hail Mary. I’d love to see him [Hardy] come back. I’d love to see him fight me”
A future bout with Hardy would certainly garner further exposure for the young fighter, who is looking forward to a bright future in the UFC. If he will have what it takes to displace McGregor and the rest of a stacked 155 pound division, however, will take more time to determine.
Gall dispatched of Sage Northcutt last night in UFC Sacramento and confirmed his plan to hold McGregor’s belt within two years
UFC on Fox 22 in Sacramento saw the 24 year old prospect submit ‘Super’ Sage Northcutt to earn him a 3-0 record in the promotion.
While it may be too early to suggest a hype train is ready to gather pace, Gall’s latest victory against Northcutt (8-2) is a positive step towards more recognition and bigger fights. His latest opponent had won three of his four UFC fights, and is a well known name in MMA, due to his impressive striking and flair for showmanship.
Mickey Gall has high hopes
It took the New Jersey man less than two rounds to dispatch the younger Texan: Gall looked comfortable in a lopsided first round, and ended the contest in the second via rear-naked choke. The man who defeated C.M Punk at UFC 203 was positive in his post-fight interview, telling Brian Stann (and the MMA world) the name he wants next:
“I’m gonna drop down to 155 – I’m a little young in the tooth for 170. I think I’ll go down there, I’ll be the champion in a couple of years”.
When asked who is next, the Gracie New Jersey fighter said:
“I’d like to welcome back Dan Hardy – he’s coming back, and said he wants a marquee fight. Name a marquee fight right now? I’d be honoured to fight him, he’s a legend. I’d love to fight him”
Due to a heart condition, Hardy (34) has not fought since a 2012 decision victory over Amir Sadollah in Nottingham, England. It remains to be seen if he will step back into the octagon in 2017, so Gall may need to focus his attentions elsewhere for now. “The Outlaw” did have a response to the call out via twitter:
Was he old enough to watch the @UFC when I was still fighting? ?
Gall states that calling out Hardy was a “Hail Mary” which would assist in his ambition for bigger fights. McGregor’s name was also used as an example of how a fighter can find success when dropping down a weight class.
“I want to take out guys who have bigger names than me, who have more star power. Big names make nice trophies and I want some nice trophies, you know” said Gall.
“I plan on going down to 155. Making 170 is pretty easy; 155 will be pretty tough, but I think I’ll be the champion there. I like the way Conor went down [to featherweight] and suffered and made himself a champion, made himself a star. I think I can do the same thing”
“I’m tossing out the hail Mary. I’d love to see him [Hardy] come back. I’d love to see him fight me”
A future bout with Hardy would certainly garner further exposure for the young fighter, who is looking forward to a bright future in the UFC. If he will have what it takes to displace McGregor and the rest of a stacked 155 pound division, however, will take more time to determine.
With a mandate to grow revenue streams while paying down the massive loan required to purchase the UFC, the organization’s new ownership group has quickly and clearly seized upon a strategy of identifying and pushing potential stars with urgency.
It is…
With a mandate to grow revenue streams while paying down the massive loan required to purchase the UFC, the organization’s new ownership group has quickly and clearly seized upon a strategy of identifying and pushing potential stars with urgency.
It is how we ended up with a network television card promoting 22-year-old Paige VanZant in a main event, 20-year-old Sage Northcutt in the co-main event, and 25-year-old Mike Perry, in just his third UFC bout.
Saturday’s UFC Fight Night on Fox was designed to set up the future, but best-laid plans seldom follow the script, and for the UFC, this one turned into disaster. If it was written on paper, it’s headed straight for the shredder.
Perry showed his inexperience by failing to make any adjustments in a clear decision loss to Alan Jouban. Northcutt flashed his usual bursts of explosion but ultimately succumbed to a Mickey Gall rear-naked choke. And VanZant barely got her engine started, getting choked out by Michelle Waterson in less than a round.
The 0-of-3 night should serve as another reminder that star-making isn’t just an inexact science; it’s alchemy.
Welcome to the fight business, WME-IMG.
Welcome to the big-time, Paige, Sage and Mike.
Too much, too soon? Maybe, although who will ever admit it?
“No, I was meant for the spotlight and I’m going to continue to be in the spotlight,” VanZant said in the event’s post-fight press conference. “I will be back and I’m gonna have the belt one day. I’m 22 years old. I have a long time. I have the best team in the world. And it’s come together as the perfect gym for me, so I’ll be back.”
Sure, she’ll be back in presence, but any momentum she’s had is clearly gone after losing—and getting dominated—in two out of her last three.
Age may be a factor in these struggles, but focus might be, too. VanZant may have enough energy to go do reality shows and potentially chase movie roles, but every day she spends out of the gym is another day the rest of the division is training to catch up to her or surpass her.
Anyone who watches with a halfway-educated eye can see the holes in her game that must be addressed. This is a time when the most improvements can be made. The mind is young and adaptable. The body is fresh and pliable. At this point of her career, she’s more tough than skillful, which is a perfectly fine starting point for a career, but a no (wo)man’s land for a UFC athlete.
And still, VanZant said that she will consider other options outside of MMA as opportunities present themselves. That’s her right, and she should certainly contemplate offers that may enrich her both financially and spiritually in ways that fighting can’t. But for her to believe she can alternate between two demanding worlds and ascend toward the championship is youthful naivete.
There isn’t a single example of any high-level fighter who’s successfully done that, let alone one who has done it on the way up the ladder.
Northcutt and Perry looking similarly green in their losses, yet after all that, the UFC really shouldn’t be faulted for its approach.
At some point, you have to put the machine behind potential stars.
MMA is a star-run business, and you can’t get the masses behind anyone without pushing them out into the world to see how they’re received.
VanZant and Northcutt had already begun receiving a push under the previous regime, so last night was simply a continuation. Perry was added to the mix due in equal parts to his early UFC performances (two knockouts) and the kind of brash, subversive traits that often click in a counterculture sport.
While the night is definitively a setback for UFC, there are silver linings.
Because they matched their favored sons (and daughters) with reasonably marketable opponents, the victors got the rub.
Waterson came off looking great, first by dominating VanZant and then by being gracious and charming in victory, noting that her daughter told her she’d be her favorite fighter upon winning, so she couldn’t lose.
Gall has been particularly adept at drawing attention to himself, talking his way into a UFC contract, parlaying that into a shot against CM Punk, then engineering a matchup with Northcutt. But on a tough night for UFC, even he had his first whiff, saying he was going to move down to lightweight and calling out Dan Hardy, a career welterweight who has not fought in four years. Later, he compounded the mistake by breaking the fourth wall and talking about his “character” as a “bad guy.”
Still, at least he’s been proactive, which is exactly the point.
Young fighters should be taking note of the UFC’s approach and of the fighters they are getting behind. Anyone who makes the right kind of noise gets noticed. Most who raise their hands for fights get called upon. There is a path to writing your own ticket now, or at least having a more active hand in charting your path.
On Saturday night, the UFC lost its Paige and Sage gamble, but it showed it will aggressively push the talent it identifies as potential stars. For the fighters, that’s meaningful information. For the ones who play their hands right, the line to the top has just gotten shorter.
With a mandate to grow revenue streams while paying down the massive loan required to purchase the UFC, the organization’s new ownership group has quickly and clearly seized upon a strategy of identifying and pushing potential stars with urgency.
It is…
With a mandate to grow revenue streams while paying down the massive loan required to purchase the UFC, the organization’s new ownership group has quickly and clearly seized upon a strategy of identifying and pushing potential stars with urgency.
It is how we ended up with a network television card promoting 22-year-old Paige VanZant in a main event, 20-year-old Sage Northcutt in the co-main event, and 25-year-old Mike Perry, in just his third UFC bout.
Saturday’s UFC Fight Night on Fox was designed to set up the future, but best-laid plans seldom follow the script, and for the UFC, this one turned into disaster. If it was written on paper, it’s headed straight for the shredder.
Perry showed his inexperience by failing to make any adjustments in a clear decision loss to Alan Jouban. Northcutt flashed his usual bursts of explosion but ultimately succumbed to a Mickey Gall rear-naked choke. And VanZant barely got her engine started, getting choked out by Michelle Waterson in less than a round.
The 0-of-3 night should serve as another reminder that star-making isn’t just an inexact science; it’s alchemy.
Welcome to the fight business, WME-IMG.
Welcome to the big-time, Paige, Sage and Mike.
Too much, too soon? Maybe, although who will ever admit it?
“No, I was meant for the spotlight and I’m going to continue to be in the spotlight,” VanZant said in the event’s post-fight press conference. “I will be back and I’m gonna have the belt one day. I’m 22 years old. I have a long time. I have the best team in the world. And it’s come together as the perfect gym for me, so I’ll be back.”
Sure, she’ll be back in presence, but any momentum she’s had is clearly gone after losing—and getting dominated—in two out of her last three.
Age may be a factor in these struggles, but focus might be, too. VanZant may have enough energy to go do reality shows and potentially chase movie roles, but every day she spends out of the gym is another day the rest of the division is training to catch up to her or surpass her.
Anyone who watches with a halfway-educated eye can see the holes in her game that must be addressed. This is a time when the most improvements can be made. The mind is young and adaptable. The body is fresh and pliable. At this point of her career, she’s more tough than skillful, which is a perfectly fine starting point for a career, but a no (wo)man’s land for a UFC athlete.
And still, VanZant said that she will consider other options outside of MMA as opportunities present themselves. That’s her right, and she should certainly contemplate offers that may enrich her both financially and spiritually in ways that fighting can’t. But for her to believe she can alternate between two demanding worlds and ascend toward the championship is youthful naivete.
There isn’t a single example of any high-level fighter who’s successfully done that, let alone one who has done it on the way up the ladder.
Northcutt and Perry looking similarly green in their losses, yet after all that, the UFC really shouldn’t be faulted for its approach.
At some point, you have to put the machine behind potential stars.
MMA is a star-run business, and you can’t get the masses behind anyone without pushing them out into the world to see how they’re received.
VanZant and Northcutt had already begun receiving a push under the previous regime, so last night was simply a continuation. Perry was added to the mix due in equal parts to his early UFC performances (two knockouts) and the kind of brash, subversive traits that often click in a counterculture sport.
While the night is definitively a setback for UFC, there are silver linings.
Because they matched their favored sons (and daughters) with reasonably marketable opponents, the victors got the rub.
Waterson came off looking great, first by dominating VanZant and then by being gracious and charming in victory, noting that her daughter told her she’d be her favorite fighter upon winning, so she couldn’t lose.
Gall has been particularly adept at drawing attention to himself, talking his way into a UFC contract, parlaying that into a shot against CM Punk, then engineering a matchup with Northcutt. But on a tough night for UFC, even he had his first whiff, saying he was going to move down to lightweight and calling out Dan Hardy, a career welterweight who has not fought in four years. Later, he compounded the mistake by breaking the fourth wall and talking about his “character” as a “bad guy.”
Still, at least he’s been proactive, which is exactly the point.
Young fighters should be taking note of the UFC’s approach and of the fighters they are getting behind. Anyone who makes the right kind of noise gets noticed. Most who raise their hands for fights get called upon. There is a path to writing your own ticket now, or at least having a more active hand in charting your path.
On Saturday night, the UFC lost its Paige and Sage gamble, but it showed it will aggressively push the talent it identifies as potential stars. For the fighters, that’s meaningful information. For the ones who play their hands right, the line to the top has just gotten shorter.
Mickey Gall finally coaxed a little bit of attitude out of Sage Northcutt during the first round of their co-main event bout at Saturday’s UFC on Fox 22.
In the second round, Gall wheedled a submission out of Northcutt, too.
The rear naked choke …
Mickey Gall finally coaxed a little bit of attitude out of Sage Northcutt during the first round of their co-main event bout at Saturday’s UFC on Fox 22.
In the second round, Gall wheedled a submission out of Northcutt, too.
The rear naked choke victory was Gall’s third win this year and only turned up the heat on what might be the strangest career going right now in the UFC.
All things being equal, Gall shouldn’t even be fighting in the Octagon at this stage of his professional life. Yet here he is, 3-0 in the world’s premier MMA organization after walking through another of the UFC’s handpicked stars.
With just four pro fights under his belt—all of them wins and all coming during the last 13 months—he remains impossibly young and ridiculously green by the UFC’s usual standards.
After defeating Northcutt, however, it’s conceivable he’s also on his way to becoming one of the promotion’s most intriguing young talents.
There is still a lot we don’t know about Gall. Each of his UFC wins have come over opponents just as inexperienced and unproven as he is. But if nothing else, as Bleacher Report’s Patrick Wyman pointed out on Saturday, he’s off to a good start:
Gall talked himself out of obscurity and into the big time when he called out CM Punk on an episode of Dana White’s Lookin’ for a Fight reality show filmed in late 2015.
The UFC president seemed to like the kid’s—and you’ll have to excuse this vocabulary choice—gall and signed him to a contract specifically to be the debut opponent for the 38-year-old former professional wrestler.
When Gall and Punk finally met on pay-per-view at UFC 203 in September, Gall won by quick-and-easy choke just two minutes, 14 seconds into the first round. Immediately afterward, he called out Northcutt, saying the UFC’s sunniest star was “corny” and that he wanted to “punch the spikes out of his hair.”
Northcutt accepted and agreed to temporarily move up from lightweight to welterweight in order to make it happen.
Unfortunately, that gambit did not work out for him.
Gall tried to bait Northcutt with trash-talk during the lead-up to the bout, but the always-positive 20-year-old Texan wouldn’t take the bait.
Once they were in the cage, however, Northcutt appeared to show a bit of an edge.
After Gall scored an early takedown and succeeded in keeping him on the mat for much of the first round, Northcutt finally worked his way to his feet with a bit under two minutes left on the clock. Northcutt waved for Gall to stand with him, but as Gall attempted to change positions, Northcutt struck him with a hard hammerfist to the face.
The two spent the rest of that round exchanging words between punches and kicks. That bad blood spilled over into the beginning of the second, but Gall cut things short when he floored Northcutt with a wild overhand right that landed behind the ear.
Gall followed Northcutt to the mat and after a brief period of jockeying for position, secured the choke and forced him to tap out just 1:40 into the stanza.
It was Northcutt’s second loss in three fights and his second this year while fighting as a welterweight. All told, he’s 3-2 in the UFC and will have to work hard moving forward to justify the hype the UFC stirred up around him after signing him in the fall of 2015
Once again, Gall had a name ready to call out during his postfight interview with UFC color commentator Brian Stann.
“I’d like to welcome back Dan Hardy,” Gall said inside the cage. “If he’s coming back he says he wants to come back for a marquee fight. I think I’m a marquee fight right now.”
This call-out was particularly out-of-the-blue, given that Hardy hasn’t fought since 2012 after being diagnosed with a heart condition. In recent months, Hardy made some noise about wanting to return to action, but still needs to be medically cleared. He currently works as a broadcaster on many of the UFC’s overseas events.
For his part, Hardy appeared to take the challenge in stride:
Still, you can’t blame Gall for trying.
Talking his way into one big fight after another has worked wonders for him so far.
On a four-bout main card Saturday that was designed to showcase a new crop of stars to the UFC’s network TV audience, he might emerge as the most memorable.
He’ll have to keep winning in order to keep the momentum building and it remains to be seen if matchmakers can continue to scrounge up opponents with comparable experience and skills.
In a strange way, however, Gall appears to be slowly transforming himself into a fighter the UFC might like to promote—all by continuing to beat fighters the UFC would probably like to promote.
After an impressive performance on Saturday night, which saw him submit fellow “Dana White: Lookin’ For A Fight” competitor Sage Northcutt in the co-main event of the UFC On…
https://youtu.be/1ThkEtIwaNQ
Well, it’s definitely becoming “his thing.”
After an impressive performance on Saturday night, which saw him submit fellow “Dana White: Lookin’ For A Fight” competitor Sage Northcutt in the co-main event of the UFC On FOX 22 show at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, Mickey Gall made an official challenge to who he hopes will be his next opponent inside the Octagon.
Featured above is the video released via the official UFC On FOX YouTube channel after the show on Saturday night, which shows Gall calling out former UFC Welterweight Title contender turned television fight analyst Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy for his next fight in the UFC.
For complete UFC On FOX 22 results from Saturday night, click here.
