Sage Northcutt has so far been living up to expectations, at least in the lightweight division. The native of Katy, Texas, is 5-2 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, with both losses coming at the welterweight division. After being stopped by Bryan Barberena and Mickey Gall, he is back at 170 pounds against Zak Ottow, who sports a UFC record of 3-2.
“Super” Sage will try to notch his first welterweight win when he returns to the Octagon on July 14 in Boise, Idaho for UFC Fight Night 133. Meanwhile, here are five things you might not know about the Team Alpha Male standout.
1. He was a Hall of Famer at age 15.
The son of a karate black belt, Northcutt started training in martial arts at the age of four and later competed across Texas and around the world. When he turned nine, he became the youngest person ever to ever the cover of Sport Karate Magazine. He has won a total of 77 titles at the world level, and for his feats, Northcutt was inducted into the Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame at only 15 years old.
2. He took up Petroleum Engineering side by side with MMA.
Before focusing on MMA, Northcutt was a regular Texan college student in a very regular Texan field of study: petroleum engineering. He was 19 when he decided to withdraw from Texas A&M University and give way to his burgeoning fight career. Northcutt intends to continue school at a later date, but for now, he is happy to make the most of everything the UFC has to offer.
His father served as his head coach for a long time. Realizing he needed a bigger gym and more established team to compete at a high level, he traveled to Montreal to train with his idol St. Pierre at the famed Tristar Gym following his Octagon debut. He now trains with Team Alpha Male.
4. The guy had abs when he was only 4.
Northcutt claims that when he was young, his father made him do pushups and sit-ups every day. It’s hard to argue the veracity of this statement when you see a four-year-old Northcutt sporting a six pack. He posted a photo of his four-year-old self on Instagram.
5. His sister has also fought in MMA.
Sage’s elder sister, Colbey Northcutt, is also a karate black belt and multiple-time world sport karate and kickboxing champion. Like her brother, she also started training in karate at a young age. Eventually, Colbey transitioned into MMA and went 4-1 as an amateur, stopping three of her opponents by guillotine choke. She held Legacy Fighting Alliance’s amateur bantamweight title before deciding to go back to college for her Communications degree. During this time, Sage was signed by the UFC, which inspired her to return to fighting. Last year, she debuted professionally at LFA 14, with Sage commentating cageside. She lost the fight and has yet to return to the cage.