Sage Northcutt Tapped out by Bryan Barberena at UFC on Fox 18

Mixed martial artist Sage Northcutt lost to Bryan Barberena by submission in Round 2 of UFC on Fox 18 in New Jersey this Saturday.

The UFC is all-in on Sage Northcutt. The 19-year-old is put front-and-center at every opportunity, and the UFC has been actively pushing top-10 names out of the way to ensure that. The UFC booked Northcutt for three fights in just four months, with each of his opponents fitting perfectly into his style.

An injury to Northcutt's original opponent, Andrew Holbrook, threw a wrench into those plans, forcing the UFC to turn to relatively unknown Bryan Barberena. That turned out to be a very poor move by the UFC.

Each fighter's game plan was obvious from the get-go. Northcutt wanted to overwhelm Barberena with his diverse striking arsenal and intense physicality. Barberena wanted to keep Northcutt close, holding him close in the clinch in order to threaten takedowns and prevent him from putting too much power behind his strikes.

Round 1 saw both men get in some offense. Northcutt tagged Barberena with punches and repeatedly out-muscled him along the cage. Barberena managed to out-technique him in the clinch, taking him down and finding some success on the ground. By the end of the frame, though, Northcutt was visibly slower and less explosive.

When Round 2 kicked off, Northcutt fell after attempting an ill-advised head kick, and Barberena was quick to pounce on top of him. From full guard, he landed numerous short elbows, advancing to half guard. From there, he locked up an opposite-side arm triangle choke that, surprisingly, forced the youngster to tap out.

 

It was a shocking submission from an odd position—one that had UFC commentator Joe Rogan (and MMAFighting.com's Luke Thomas) questioning whether or not it was a "quick tap" (that is, he wondered aloud if Northcutt was quick to give up). It's also a submission that takes a lot of money out of bookies' pockets.

Here are some other notes and thoughts on the fight:

• The loss will definitely provoke a lot of questions about how the UFC decided to promote Northcutt. Despite being an incredibly raw talent, the UFC put more effort into showcasing him than they have into long-reigning champions like Demetrious Johnson and Robbie Lawler. The UFC wasted a lot of man-hours with this outcome.
• That said, don't mistake this loss for being the end of Northcutt's career. He remains a top-notch talent from both a technical and athletic perspective, and that shouldn't change with just one loss.
• Unfortunately, this win means very little for Barberena. Look for him to get buried onto the preliminary card or stuck onto a so-so UFC Fight Night from here.
• Barberena added insult to injury by lampooning Northcutt's signature front flip. Brutal!

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