7. Bryan Barberena Chokes Sage Northcutt
Northcutt might someday become a future champion or all-time great. He could also turn out to be MMA’s answer to Brian Bosworth. Only time will tell. In any event, Northcutt was packaged by the UFC’s legion of marketers as a combination of Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris, Jet Li, The Karate Kid and Iron Monkey. A young, muscular prospect with striking good looks, Ken Doll hair and a smile meant for Colgate commercials, the hype behind Northcutt was overbearing at times. People forgot he was only 19 at the time of his debut.
Northcutt breezed through his first two UFC appearances, stopping Francisco Trevino and Cody Pfister. He was then matched with Andrew Holbrook at UFC on Fox 18 on Jan. 30 in Newark, New Jersey. However, an injury forced Holbrook’s exit and opened the door for Barberena, an MMA Lab export with something to prove. Northcutt started strong but found himself being dragged into deeper and deeper waters. Barberena eventually achieved top position and latched an arm-triangle choke. A panicked Northcutt tapped almost immediately.
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