Sage Northcutt confirms return to lightweight division
Sage Northcutt is set to return to the lightweight division with plans for an April or May return.
Experimenting is usually a great thing, unless it means taking a loss on your professional mixed martial arts career. For Sage Northcutt, his experience testing the waters as a welterweight resulted in his two professional losses. On Wednesday, Northcutt made it official that he’s moving back down to lightweight for the foreseeable future.
“You know, obviously, anytime you lose you learn from it,” he said on Monday while speaking to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour. “Not that you regret it but it’s a learning experience, and I’ll be back down at 155 now. I’m a natural 155er. So, that’ll be a good weight class for me.”
Northcutt remained undefeated for the first five fights of his professional career as he blazed through the opposition at lightweight. The first hiccup came when he moved up to welterweight to face Bryan Barberena at UFC on Fox 18. He rebounded after moving back to lightweight and defeating Enrique Marin at UFC 200 before dropping the welterweight grudge match against Mickey Gall at UFC on Fox 22. In both losses Northcutt was submitted by the better grappler once the fight hit the ground. After that loss to Gall, Northcutt started the conversation that he’s going to move back to lightweight, and this interview with Helwani affirms the change.
Northcutt has been training with welterweight champion Tyron Woodley as he prepares for his fight against Stephen Thompson at UFC 209. A return bout has yet to be announced by the UFC, but Northcutt is eyeing a return sometime in April or May.
“Yes sir, [I don’t have an] exactly a set date, but maybe sometime in the next three months, four months, and back at 155,” Northcutt said. “So I’ll be learning the most I can until then, and improving. I don’t have an opponent in mind; it’s who the UFC gives me, but definitely going to be at 155.”
At 20-years old Northcutt has become one of the most polarizing individuals on the UFC roster. Both his wins and losses are highly critiqued while his popularity continues to increase. He’s an individual the UFC has shown a willingness to promote regardless of wins and losses.
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