UFC 192: Sage Northcutt Shows He's More Than a Pretty Face with Explosive R1 TKO

UFC 192's Sage Northcutt went from nobody to one of the hottest names in the UFC almost overnight. With his One Direction looks and pro wrestler name, it's easy to see why Dana White got so excited over the 19-year-old.

Northcutt showed there was plenty of steak behind that sizzle on Saturday night, though, when he demolished muay thai veteran Francisco Trevino. In the early goings of the fight, Trevino slipped on the canvas, and Northcutt, to his credit, pounced on him like a leopard.

The rest was academic. Northcutt unleashed a furious volley of strikes on Trevino and showed absolutely no mercy as his foe from Mexico shattered under the pressure. Referee Herb Dean would wave off the action at 0:57 of Round 1.

. @sagenorthcutt interviewed by @MeganOlivi before being called into Dana White’s office backstage. http://pic.twitter.com/hlBzGiyTpd

— Jeremy Botter (@jeremybotter) October 4, 2015

It was an impressive debut for the youngster, and it's one that silences any doubt that he was merely brought in to hype Fight Pass' new show Looking for a Fight.

"This feels amazing, it’s such an honor to be here," he said after the fight. "The crowd, everyone around the UFC, were all amazing and this was just an incredible experience. I've been training for this since I was four years old."

Here are some notes and thoughts on the bout:

• Northcutt busted several moves after the fight, flipping in every direction he could find. That kind of flash never hurts when it comes to making an impression with fans.
• Northcutt may not vault into the UFC rankings with that win, but it's not unreasonable to expect big things from him, even with just one win to his name. He demonstrated a level of explosiveness and power that would have made him somebody to watch, even if the UFC wasn't force-feeding him to fans.
• That said, the UFC would be wise to approach him in the same way Bellator handles Michael Page; give him naked squash match after naked squash match.
• Trevino, in all likelihood, is done in the UFC. Immediately after the fight was waved off, he popped up to express his frustration, believing the stoppage was premature. (In reality, it was a bit too late, if anything.) Dean would stay close to him, and Trevino would shove him back. He continued to jaw with the ref and pushed him a second time. This was a mile worse than the incident with Jason High, which got him cut.

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