UFC president Dana White likely cringed when budding superstar Sage Northcutt, a 19-year-old who had won his first seven UFC fights all by knockout or submission, was submitted on Jan. 30 against journeyman Ryan Barbarena.
Northcutt was taken down by Barbarena, and he quickly tapped out to an arm-triangle choke that wasn’t applied in a way that typically generates a submission. Northcutt explained he’d been battling severe strep throat, and was struggling to breathe the entire fight.
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White took responsibility for Northcutt’s loss, a defeat which will serve as a big setback for his momentum.
“The kid was super sick and he still wanted to fight,” White said. “His father said, listen we still want to take the fight, we still want to take the fight. I should have pulled the kid from the fight. He’s 19 years old, he fought three times in [four] months. I should have pulled the kid from the fight.”
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Northcutt said the strep throat was why he tapped out so quickly, and not “panic” from being in a bad spot vs. a veteran fighter for the first time in his career. "It wasn't panic, I felt very calm. The thing was, having the hard time breathing and having the mouth piece in, my energy level wasn't the level I would normally have,” Northcutt told MMA Fighting.
Northcutt did not look sick in the early going, however, even though he said his legs “felt like cement.” His illness likely contributed to his performance, but he also showed cracks that a 19-year-old who is being rushed along would be expected to display. UFC did Northcutt no favors by hyping him so heavily, and now he may face an uphill battle to regain credibility after a quick tap out.
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