Sage Northcutt, Tarec Saffiedine heading to Tristar Gym for trial training sessions

Sage Northcutt

UFC super prospect Sage Northcutt pegged former welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre as a fighter who inspired him to thrive in MMA. Now he’s going to train at the gym that turned St-Pierre into a world champion.

Northcutt’s (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) father has served as his head coach through his combat sports career, including all six of his pro fights. That situation has served him well so far, but rarely do fighters advance to the top of the sport without the support of an established coach and strong team.

Montreal’s Tristar Gym is exactly that. Head coach Firas Zahabi has groomed numerous elite athletes, including longtime UFC champ St-Pierre, current 170-pound contender Rory MacDonald, “The Ultimate Fighter” winner Chad Laprise and others.

Northcutt could be the next name to flourish inside the Canadian gym, but first his chemistry with the coaches and training partners must be determined.

According to Zahabi, the 19-year-old will soon travel to Montreal to see if he’s a good fit. After that, the coach and fighter will discuss whether a permanent position on the team is best for everyone involved.

“We will be training together for a week and see if we work well together,” Zahabi told MMAjunkie via text message.

Northcutt made his octagon debut at UFC 192 earlier this month and received a hefty promotional push prior to the bout. He lived up to the hype when he scored a 57-second TKO victory over Francisco Trevino.

The triumphant performance put Northcutt in the record books as the youngest fighter to earn a UFC victory. His career could go in many different directions after the historic debut, but few places would help mold his career better than Tristar.

Northcutt’s appreciation for St-Pierre’s style and skill set proves he’s aware of what type of fighter can be created at the gym.

“Georges St-Pierre is one of my favorite fighters,” Northcutt said prior to UFC 192. “He’s just a phenomenal athlete. If you look at him, he’s ripped up, and he’s in shape. (He has) incredible cardio, conditioning, strength and you can just see he has a little bit of everything and is super well-rounded. He can pick someone apart with a jab and just beat them up, or he can take them down and his takedowns are some of the best in MMA.”

Zahabi confirmed that another UFC fighter of note could potentially be joining the Tristar team, as well, as MMAjunkie contributor “Showdown” Joe Ferraro first tweeted and Zahabi later confirmed:

Welterweight contender Tarec Saffiedine (15-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will also participate in a trial run at the gym in the near future to determine whether he would be a solid match with the coaches and fighters on the team.

Saffiedine’s potential addition is peculiar; his most recent UFC bout came against MacDonald at UFC Fight Night 54 in October 2014. The ex-Strikeforce titleholder suffered a fourth-round knockout loss to MacDonald and has not competed since then due to injuries.

“The Sponge” has fought just three times in the past 34 months, but he’s apparently using his time off to discover the best training environment for his career once he achieves a clean bill of health.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.