UFC News 2016: Top Prospect Sage Northcutt Loses, Gets Ton Of Hate; Company Targets November As Date For NYC Event
UFC welterweight prospect Sage Northcutt experienced his first career loss on Saturday night when he tapped out to an arm-triangle choke against Bryan Barberena at UFC on FOX 18.
It was also Northcutt's first loss in the UFC, where he is one of the most hyped fighters today. Company president Dana White, along with former welterweight champion Matt Serra, spotted the 19-year-old fighter in their online show called "Looking for a Fight."
Northcutt has been establishing himself as one of the hottest prospects and flashiest fighters in the UFC today. But the hype surrounding him took a massive hit after his loss, which prompted haters to come out of the woodwork and go on the attack.
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But as others tried to put him down, some also did the opposite and tried to uplift the young fighter. Sergio Pettis, who is former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis' younger brother, offered some words of encouragement to Northcutt through a tweet he posted after the fight.
"I know how you r feeling. Don't worry about what others say. Clear your head, get back in the gym and start over," the younger Pettis wrote.
Northcutt now holds a record of 7-1, with all of his victories ending by stoppage. In the last four months alone, he has already fought three straight fights in the UFC.
Meanwhile, the UFC is targeting November as the date for its debut event in New York City. Late last year, the company pinned April 23rd as the date for the first ever mixed martial arts event in the state of New York, since it was banned in the late 90's.
Unfortunately, the ban remains upheld, forcing this plan to be scrapped altogether. But according to UFC's Vice President for Public Relations Dave Sholler, the company is confident that this year would finally be their year to have MMA legalized in the Empire State.
"We feel pretty confident that 2016 is the year, and as [UFC COO] Lawrence [Epstein] said, the next date we're targeting is November," Sholler said in a report by MMA Fighting. "We're committed to bringing the UFC to New York."
