Report: Sage Northcutt to make 2017 debut at UFC Fight Night 120 vs. Michel Quinones

Will Sage Northcutt finally fight in 2017 at November’s UFC Fight Night 120? That’s the plan as of right now.

ESPN.com reported today that Northcutt (8-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has been booked to face Michel Quinones (8-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC)in a lightweight bout on Nov. 11 at UFC Fight Night 120. The event takes place at Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va., and airs on FS1.

It’s been a long road back to the octagon for Northcutt, who’s dropped two of his past three bouts. Most recently he was submitted by Mickey Gall at UFC on FOX 22 in December.

Originally, Northcutt hoped to return at UFC 211 in his native Texas, but that plan fell through when he underwent surgery to have his tonsils removed. Northcutt was booked to fight in July at UFC 214, though injuries during training camp to both Northcutt and opponent John Makdessi forced the cancellation of the bout.

Still considered a highly touted prospect despite his recent struggles, Northcutt hopes to finally fight for the first time this year – and at 155 pounds. His two losses have come at welterweight.

In Quinones, Northcutt faces an opponent coming off a TKO loss to Jared Gordon in his UFC debut in June at UFC Fight Night 112. Prior to that, Quinones was on a five-fight winning streak.

Additionally, bantamweight contender Raphael Assuncao has been booked to fight Matthew Lopez on the card.

Assuncao (25-5 MMA, 9-2 UFC), No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA bantamweight rankings, has won nine of his last 10 bouts and seeks his third consecutive victory. Lopez (10-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) carries his own two-fight winning streak into the contest.

The latest UFC Fight Night 120 card includes:

• Anthony Pettis vs. Dustin Poirier
• Matt Brown vs. Diego Sanchez
• Nina Ansaroff vs. Angela Hill
• Cezar Ferreira vs. Nate Marquardt
• Karl Roberson vs. Darren Stewart
• Jake Collier vs. Marcel Fortuna
• Junior Albini vs. Andrei Arlovski
• Court McGee vs. Sean Strickland
• Clay Guida vs. Joe Lauzon
• Viviane Pereira vs. Tatiana Suarez
• John Dodson vs. Marlon Moraes
• Sage Northcutt vs. Michel Quinones
• Raphael Assuncao vs. Matthew Lopez

For more on UFC Fight Night 120, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.