Sage Northcutt got his first win at welterweight, but it wasn’t without difficulty.
The 22 year old UFC star took a hard shot that had his eyes rolling back into his head just moments into his fight against Zak Ottow, but managed to regain his composure as the two wrestled on the ground. He was lucky that Ottow didn’t separate and force the fight back up to the feet, but it was skill that helped him turn the round in his favor, nearly catching Ottow in a choke later in the first.
BRUTAL right by @TheBarbarianMMA! #UFCBoise pic.twitter.com/Ia7S9axdNg
— UFC (@ufc) July 15, 2018
The second round saw Sage catch Ottow with a sharp jab that dropped him to the canvas. Ottow tried to get back to his feet only to be dumped by Northcutt, who followed up with hammerfists that forced the referee to stop things. The official end of the fight came at 3:13 of the second round.
Watch the finish here:
Wobbled him.
— UFC (@ufc) July 15, 2018
Finished him.@SageNorthcutt enjoys a triumphant return to WW. #UFCBoise pic.twitter.com/DZzg7QQfjA
What a comeback! After being knocked down, @sagenorthcutt gets the KO victory. pic.twitter.com/L7qANSeeDR
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) July 15, 2018
The win is Northcutt’s third in a row and moves him to 6-2 in the UFC, 11-2 MMA. While we still have some big questions regarding Sage’s chin after that rough start, you can’t deny his heart in coming back for the win.
SUPER SHOWING!@SageNorthcutt gets the second round KO by hammer fists! #UFCBoise pic.twitter.com/BBq2nTIniP
— UFC (@ufc) July 15, 2018