In his third UFC appearance since October, Sage Northcutt fell to Bryan Barberena in Saturday’s welterweight bout in Newark, New Jersey.
Northcutt, who came into the Octagon undefeated, was originally scheduled to fight Andrew Holbrook, but was reassigned to Barberena and gained 15 pounds to fight in the Welterweight class.
Northcutt was in control in the first round, constantly forcing Barberena on the defensive. With two minutes remaining in the first round, Northcutt made several significant strikes. Barberena returned with his own punches towards the end of the round.
Northcutt attempted a kick in the middle of the second round and lost his balance, ending up on his back. Barberena took advantage of Northcutt’s position, battering him with elbows and punches and eventually advancing to half guard.
Still in half guard, Barberena locked in an arm triangle choke and forced Northcutt to tap out.
The win against Northcutt on the Fox platform is big for Barberena, who came into the fight as a relatively unknown fighter and silenced the hype surrounding the 19-year-old.
