The UFC are looking to capitalize on the current interest in Teenage MMA star Sage Northcutt by adding him to the UFC Fight Night 80 card on December 10th.
The 19 year-old was discovered by Dana White during a talent scouting mission documented on his ‘Looking For A Fight’ reality show earlier this year and made his debut earlier this month in impressive fashion with a 57 second TKO victory against Francisco Trevino.
Since then he’s been invited to come and train for a week at the Tri-Star gym in Montreal, Canada, and coach Firas Zahabi revealed on yesterday’s MMA Hour radio show that Northcutt will now be training there for his upcoming fight, while also likening him to the gym’s most famous fighter, Georges St. Pierre.
Northcutt’s opponent, Pfister holds a 12-4 career record, but is currently 1-1 in the UFC, and having received little fanfare so far it’ll no doubt eager to derail his opponent’s hype train.
It’s probably not just a coincidence that Northcutt has been added to an event headlined by another similarly young, photogenic fighter, Paige VanZant as many have been quick to point out the similarities between ‘Sage and Paige’ over the past few weeks, and it’s clear that the UFC is hoping that they both do live up to their potential as future stars of the sport.
Time will tell whether being under such intense scrutiny so early in their UFC career’s will be a help or hindrance to these two young fighters. In an ideal world they won’t be pushed too far too soon, but as the likes of Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor have shown in recent years, if you’ve got the talent and the mental strength to cope with the pressure that comes with this level of exposure then the sky is the limit for your career.
UFC Fight Night 80 takes place on Thursday, December 10th live in Las Vegas on the UFC’s Fight Pass service, headlined by VanZant Vs Joanne Calderwood, the first event in a three night extravaganza that will culminate in the blockbuster UFC 195: Aldo Vs McGregor event.
