UFC on FOX 18's Sage Northcutt already feeling advantages of Saturday's move to 170

NEWARK, N.J. – There’s no guarantee Sage Northcutt is going to stay at welterweight after his Saturday fight in the division – but it sounds like he already knows it would have some advantages.

Northcutt (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was all set to stay at home at lightweight for a fight against Andrew Holbrook at UFC on FOX 18. But when Holbrook broke his foot eight days ahead of the fight, Northcutt needed a new opponent.

The answer was Bryan Barberena (10-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), who moved over from a show next month in Pittsburgh to take the fight with Northcutt on short notice – but at welterweight. UFC on FOX 18 takes place Saturday at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card, with Northcutt vs. Barberena opening up, airs on FOX following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Northcutt already was hovering around the lightweight limit, he said, when he found out he’d be able to add 15 pounds back on.

“I was ready to make weight, but now I’m fighting at welterweight,” Northcutt said after a workout session today at the UFC Gym in Hoboken, N.J., near Newark. “So I’m eating my weight back up (and) gaining my weight back. I’m not sure how much I weigh, exactly, but I’m sure I’m much stronger and much bigger. I should be strong. But if I’m going to fight at welterweight after this, I know I’ll get to put on more muscle than I ever have before.”

Northcutt has taken much of the MMA world by quick storm. The 19-year-old was spotted by UFC President Dana White while taping the pilot episode of the web series “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” – and not long after that first meeting, he was making his UFC debut at UFC 192 near his home in Houston.

He tore through Francisco Trevino in that fight. Two months later, he submitted Cody Pfister at UFC Fight Night 80. Now he returns for his third UFC fight in less than four months – and it’ll be his most high-profile opportunity yet given its network television status.

With all the attention he’s been getting, there comes a legion of haters, too, though. But that’s something he deals with in his own way.

“I actually think it’s kind of funny, too,” Northcutt said of the negative feedback. “I really don’t listen to any of the negative stuff. Anything that’s positive, that’s the kind of stuff I’m listening to. That’s what brings you up. There’s always a positive side and there’s always a negative side. I choose which one I listen to.”

Northcutt is a 5-1 favorite on Saturday’s card – the heaviest favorite at the event. Another win on a FOX-televised type of stage will certainly increase his fan base – and probably the haters, too. Check out the video above to hear more from Northcutt about interacting with fans – both positive and negative – and his fight with Barberena.

For more on UFC on FOX 18, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.