5 Things You Might Not Know About Sage Northcutt

Sage Northcutt is one of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s young household names and is poised for a lengthy career inside the Octagon. At just 21, Northcutt already has fought six times under the brightest lights and will fight for the seventh time this weekend when he faces Thibault Gouti at UFC Fight Night 126.

Northcutt’s accomplishments in karate and his early UFC start are well known. However, ahead of Feb. 18’s fight between Northcutt and Gouti we took a look at five lesser known Northcutt facts.

1. Four catchweight bouts at 165 pounds.

Northcutt fought the majority of his pre-UFC contests at an unorthodox weight. During his Legacy Fighting Championship career, Northcutt fought all four of his bouts at 165 pounds. Northcutt won all four on the way to his eventual major league debut.

2. 0-2 UFC welterweight record; undefeated at lightweight.

With his experience fighting above 155 in Legacy FC, Northcutt has attempted to make the jump to welterweight on two occasions so far in his UFC career to disappointing results. Northcutt lost his first welterweight appearance to Bryan Barberena via arm triangle choke at UFC on Fox 18. Northcutt would then make a second attempt at welterweight at UFC on Fox 22 against Mickey Gall, where he would suffer a loss by rear-naked choke in the second stanza. Northcutt has not lost at lightweight in his UFC career, with a perfect record of 4-0.

3. Youngest Sport Karate Magazine cover athlete of all-time.

Northcutt came into the UFC with a well-documented background as a former youth martial arts prodigy. A member of a famous karate family, Northcutt was the youngest ever athlete to be on the cover of Sport Karate Magazine at the age of nine. Northcutt was also inducted into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame in 2012 at the age of 15 to recognize a lengthy list of accomplishments in the sport before turning 18 and embarking on his mixed martial arts career.

4. 15-0 kickboxing record.

With his standing skills and technique, Northcutt easily transitioned himself into a successful kickboxing career as he began to hone his MMA skills beyond his base discipline. Northcutt compiled an undefeated kickboxing record of 15-0, showcasing the striking he eventually took to the UFC before making the full jump to the world of MMA.

5. Top 5 in lightweight strike accuracy.

Still early in his career, Northcutt already ranks in the Top 5 of the lightweight rankings in a major statistical category. Northcutt’s 62.8 percent strike accuracy has him fifth on the list of most efficient strikers at 155. Chris Wade presently tops the list with an outstanding 70.4 clip.